


Primary

by madsthenerdygirl



Category: Jurassic Park (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 15:12:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6333964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madsthenerdygirl/pseuds/madsthenerdygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blue Aldrich is the stepchild of one of the richest men in the world--too bad he hates her and only tolerates her for her mother's sake. Fortunately Blue's got her older stepbrother, Nathan, as an ally. But when Nathan and his rich friends decide to go to the Hamptons for some adult-free partying, their father makes Blue go too. Too bad for Blue they're not really going to the Hamptons, but a hot new illegal nightclub at an old InGen base on an island off Costa Rica. Blue's already suspicious because of the old InGen rumors, but when dinosaurs start bursting through the walls to attack the partiers, it's every man for themselves. But Blue makes an unexpected ally that just might help her survive the night…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Happy Family

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at fanfiction.net in early 2012 when I was seventeen, this is a part of my project to crosspost all of my work to Ao3. This is a work heavy with original characters, but there are cameos from established characters.

Blue Aldrich hurried down the hallway, her shoes making thoroughly loud thumping noises on the luxurious carpet. Checking her watch, she decided that it would be quicker to slide down the banister instead of taking the stairs, and hopped onto the finely polished and carved banister before sliding down with expertise.

Sticking the landing with a loud thump, Blue walked as quickly as she could without breaking into a full run. She had just passed the front sitting room and had almost reached the front door when a commanding voice rang out, making her freeze. Her hand, which had reached out to seize the door handle, curled back into a fist and she lowered her arm. Rolling her eyes, Blue turned back to the front sitting room.

"Where do you think you're going looking like that?" Mr. Aldrich demanded, his grey eyes boring into her from over his copy of the Wall Street Journal.

"To the ECO Station. I volunteer there, remember?" Blue knew that he didn't remember. He didn't care.

Stanley Aldrich didn't say anything, but his eyebrows flinched to show his disapproval. Charity balls, donations and fundraisers were all well and good--they kept one in the public eye and garnered good publicity--but spending all day with filthy animals? To Stanley Aldrich's eyes, it was a waste of time. An internship or summer school would have been time better spent.

"Darling, do you really have to wear those horrid clothes?" Delilah Aldrich glanced over at her daughter and waved a hand airily, not really taking her attention away from the latest fashion magazine. The only thing Delilah Aldrich, née Anderson, cared about more than fashion was gossiping with her girlfriends… or on the telephone… or on Facebook… anywhere, really.

"I have to wear clothes I don't mind getting ripped up or dirty in," Blue explained with thinly veiled impatience.

"Just be sure to come in through the side entrance. We don't need you stinking up the house or leaving dirty shoe prints," Mr. Aldrich said, going back to his journal.

Knowing when she was dismissed, Blue bit back a sarcastic retort and left, taking care to slam the door on her way out. Yes, it was immature and stereotypical of a teenager but it made her feel better.

On her way to the beat up VW Beetle that she was proud to call her own (although she still needed to fix the dent from the time she'd backed into a pole at the gas station) her phone rang. Upon seeing the caller I.D., Blue picked up with a smile.

"Hey, Nate the Great."

"Hey, primary!" Her stepbrother's gently teasing voice was enough to make her day go from a zero to a ten. He'd long ago thought up the nickname as Blue was, after all, a "primary color."

"What's shaking?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm heading out to the ECO Station. They need someone to take care of the rat room and they're getting the bobcats' toenails trimmed and  _that_  is an adventure in itself, so–"

"Are you still at the house?"

"Yeah. I'm just getting into my car. Mr. Aldrich and Wife No. 166 are both in the front sitting room. Tell me, are we the only family that reads an actual paper-and-ink newspaper anymore?"

"Okay, that's all I needed to know."

"Why, what did you do this time?"

"It's nothing I  _did,_  it's what I  _want_  to do." Nathan explained. Blue smiled in spite of herself and shook her head, digging her keys out of the pocket of her worn and holed-filled jeans.

"Do I want to know?"

"It's nothing major. I just need 166 to be there to help sway him. You know how she is about 'indulging the kids'."

"Well, you have to keep 'em happy to keep 'em out of your hair," Blue reminded him, getting in and starting the car.

"You have to let the old bastard pay for the car," Nathan insisted. It was an old argument, and Blue would've hated him bringing it up if she wasn't one hundred percent sure it came from a place of love.

"And make him resent me even more? He hates me for breathing the same air that he does, Nate. This is my baby, and I'm getting her patched up on my own."

"Don't talk on the phone while driving."

She could almost see his wink. "I'll see you tonight."

"Unfortunately. Bye-bye, Bluebird."

The phone call ended.

* * *

"So how's the family thing going?" Anna asked, pushing her long black hair out of the way. She had dyed the middle part white, so it looked kind of like a skunk, but it was an improvement over the time she'd tried dying it orange.

"Terribly. Mom's the usual but I'm never going to get used to my step." Blue carefully avoided the 'dad' part of the last word.

"I'm sure he'll warm up to you," Anna said optimistically. She hefted up the bag of feed pellets and poured it into the various bowls. Blue picked up the bowls and slipped them into the rat cages with a practiced hand, moving quickly and surely before one of the little buggers got bold and tried to bite her.

"Anna, he hasn't warmed up to his own son. And Nate's his  _own_  son, DNA and everything," Blue pointed out. She picked up the broom lying by the door and began to sweep up the shavings the rats had knocked loose.

"Well, at least the money is nice. Being a billionaire's daughter has its perks, whether the billionaire likes you or not."

"If that was true, Judas would've kept the thirty pieces of silver," Blue said acidly. "Which reminds me, why won't you let me pay for your air conditioner?"

"Because I don't take pity money any more then you let us treat you differently."

"Anna, my allowance money is sitting in my dresser gathering dust, as is my credit card. Let me pay for the damn air conditioner." Blue finished sweeping and dumped it all in the trash before turning to refill the waters in the cages. "It's not pity money, it's one friend helping out another."

"What about that car of yours? It could use a paint job, among other things." Anna brought out the vegetables from the fridge and divided them among the various cages.

"I'm taking care of my own car with my own money, thank you. Not some crumbs that my step gave me out because he felt obligated to."

Danny barged in the door, tough gloves on and baseball cap askew. "Feeding time!" He said in a sing-song voice.

"Danny, really? We're feeding them right now," Anna said, annoyed.

"What better time to nab 'em then when they're distracted by their munchies? They're only here as reptile food anyway." Danny reached into a cage, selected a rat, picked it up by its tail and swung it, smacking its head hard on the flat of his hand. The unfortunate rat was out cold.

Danny departed with his prize to the feeding cages; temporary cages where they put the snakes and other reptiles in order to feed them.

Blue noticed the trail of red dots on the floor. "Danny, you gave the rat a nosebleed again," she called after him. Sighing, she grabbed a sponge from the kitchen and wiped up the drops. "I'd make an excellent mob cleaner at this rate," she muttered.

"So how's your mother?" Anna said.

"166? Oh, she's just fine. She's sitting pretty, as a matter of fact. Money to buy all the things she wants, a big home and unlimited minutes on her cell phone. She's in heaven." Blue's tone was pitying rather than acidic, as it had been when speaking of her stepfather.

"Why do you call her that?" Anna asked as the girls left the rat room.

"Did you ever watch The Munsters?" Blue asked.

"I've seen a couple episodes, when they were showing on TV Land. Why?"

"Well Lily Munster was the daughter of Grandpa Munster and his 166th wife," Blue explained. "Although he's had tons of wives, it's never stated if 166 was his last wife or not. The point is, Mr. Aldrich has been married so many times and had so many girlfriends that everyone's lost track of exactly how many, but my mom's the only one with a daughter; hence, the nickname."

"Not the nicest of parallels," Anna observed.

"Yeah, well, Nate and I aren't the nicest of people," Blue replied. The acid note was back in her tone.

* * *

Stanley Aldrich had, indeed, been married numerous times, as well as having several girlfriends, paramours, lovers, mistresses, and flings. Whatever you would care to call a female with whom one has an intimate relationship, no matter how brief, Stanley Aldrich had dozens. It was unusual, as the adjectives you would use to describe Stanley Aldrich were the same ones you would use to describe cold marble, but he had a George Clooney, Old Hollywood charm and manner about him when he decided to use it. It had gained him many friends and business associates in his younger days, and continued to get him women no matter what age.

Born into an old and respected family that had inhabited the Upper East Side since its creation, Aldrich had not only been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but had taken that silver spoon and run with it, building a business empire--mostly in banks. His first wife, Kimberly Williams, was like himself, and had been a business decision more than anything else. The fact that she had given him an heir before dying of ovarian cancer was only a side benefit.

Since Kimberly's death, Mr. Aldrich had never had a marriage that lasted more than two years. His current marriage to Delilah had just passed the five-month mark and the general consensus was a year and a half at the most. No more children had been born to him, and for that he seemed grateful. He barely tolerated his son and allowed Nathan to be raised by nannies, tutors and prep school teachers. The very existence of a stepdaughter was something he seemed to abhor, and the mere mention of Blue's name or any allusion to her would make his jaw clench and his eyebrows flinch.

He had made it very clear that, although Blue had taken his name when her mother did and was legally his daughter, she would receive nothing. She had a monthly allowance and whatever lessons or activities money could buy her, but she was kept from as many societal gatherings as was possible (not that she wanted to attend) and the entire business empire and anything else owned by Mr. Aldrich would go to Nathan.

Blue didn't want the money, or the business, or any of it. She didn't even want Stanley Aldrich to like her. After all, she certainly didn't like him. She just wanted him out of her life; possibly just as much, if not more than, Stanley Aldrich wanted Blue out of his. She would have been happy to hitchhike it to L.A. or something if it weren't for Nathan.

Nathan was an unexpected benefit. The only good thing in her entire mess of a home life, really. Blue had fully expected to hate him, but was pleasantly surprised to find Nathan charming, nice, thoughtful, intelligent, and laidback. They got along well together, had enough in common and enough in contrast to ensure that their time together was not boring, and found in one another unlikely allies against their despised parental unit. Well, the shallow Delilah was not so much despised as pitied (and, on occasion, manipulated).

Blue's mother came from "old stock," but her family had long since lost everything other than their name, and Delilah was unlucky enough to have expensive tastes so, in the interest of survival and comfort, had become what is crudely referred to as a "gold-digger." She worked up the corporate ladder (in her own, feminine way) and was the girlfriend of a C.E.O. when she'd fallen for the Aldrich charm and, six months later, found herself the wife of one of the five richest men in the world.

Far too busy with parties and shopping to bother about things such as motherhood, Delilah took an indulgent attitude towards her offspring, both those gained through biological means and marriage (Blue as the result of a tryst between Delilah and a nameless underling she'd bedded to relieve some tension), seeing arguing and disciplining as a waste of time. Let children be children, and so on and so forth.

In short, Blue had the happy home that graced so many rich American households. Ah, the joy of family.

* * *

When Blue arrived home that afternoon (entering the massive manor by the side entrance as ordered), there was a petition in full swing going on in one of the back rooms. Knowing a bargaining session when she heard it, Blue removed her animal-poop covered shoes and slipped quietly into the room.

Yes, just as she had suspected, Nathan was trying to convince "the old bastard" to let him do something. This time, he appeared to be asking permission to go to the Hamptons for a week with some friends.

"It's spring break, Dad."

Blue winced inwardly. Mr. Aldrich hated being addressed as anything other than 'sir' or 'Father' by his children. Nathan often called him 'Dad' to rile him up, but it wasn't the best tactic when trying to earn a favor.

"You and Delilah won't even be using the house until summer. I'll keep it clean and I won't break anything. It'll give the house a chance to air out after being closed up since last August. And I know you want me out of your hair since I don't have school to keep me occupied.

"I've gone on vacations with friends before, and to much farther locations then the Hamptons. Not to mention it's my freshman year and I've been busting my ass over school – we all need a break to relax before we jump into finals prep."

Nathan looked like he might go on, but Mr. Aldrich held up a hand. That hand gesture always looked like he was poised to slap someone, at least to Blue.

"You can go…"

Nathan looked like he was restraining himself from fist pumping or jumping for joy.

"…as long as you take her with you." Mr. Aldrich's eyes flicked to Blue before looking back at Nathan.

"I do have a name, you know," Blue said sweetly.

Nathan's eyes bugged just a tiny bit, but Blue noticed. Looking back, she should've known that something was up then, because Nathan's eye-bugging was his quickest tell.

"But… but…" Nathan sounded like he was trying to wet a suddenly dry throat.

"There is no argument on the matter," Mr. Aldrich said in a voice that meant it was final. "You will go, and you will be taking Blue with you."

"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Blue said, keeping her voice just on the edge of sugary-sweet.

"It will be fun! Blue's never been to the Hamptons before, and I'm sure she'll make friends and stay out of your way; won't you, darling?" Delilah smiled at her daughter, and Blue blinked. She hated how her mother's smile always made her insides twist.

"When were you planning on leaving?" Mr. Aldrich asked--well, it actually sounded more like a demand.

"Tomorrow morning," Nathan replied. "My friends were going to pick me up at eight."

"Short notice," Mr. Aldrich said. It was phrased like an observation, but everyone knew it was a reprimand.

"I'm sorry… sir." Nathan said apologetically.

Without a word, Mr. Aldrich started to leave the room. "I'll expect you back when?" He asked.

"Next week sometime. I'll let you know."

Mr. Aldrich left without a word.

"Well, I hope you have fun!" Delilah said brightly. She rose from where she'd been stretched out on the sofa. "I have a charity meeting to get to and I doubt I'll be up before ten tomorrow, so I'll see you next week!"

She gave Blue a kiss on the cheek, patted Nathan on the cheek, and drifted out of the room like she was on a stage.

There was a sudden feeling of finality, as if this goodbye was more than just for a week, and although Blue was at a loss as to how to explain it, she felt it settle strongly upon her, as if a cloak had been wrapped about her shoulders and drawn close.

Blue didn't really believe in premonition, but in looking back on it, something about Nathan's attitude must have struck a chord in her, awaken some ancient survival instinct, because a part of her knew that something was wrong then.

If only she had known just how wrong everything would get.


	2. This Doesn't Look Like the Hamptons

"Wakey wakey, Bluebird." Nathan's voice penetrated the fog of Blue's dream, chasing away her subconscious thoughts like wisps of fog in the heat of the morning sun.

Blue stirred, twisting in bed and blinking blearily. "Wa' time izzit?" She mumbled, squinting at the bright light shining in her face.

Nathan was shoving a fucking flashlight in her face? What fucking time was it? And why did he have such a big fucking grin on his face at said fucking time?

"It's five o'clock in the morning, dear darling sister of mine." Nathan's wiseass grin was still firmly in place. "And since the old bastard will burst a blood vessel if I leave and you're still here, you have to get up and get moving."

"It would be kind of tempting to watch him do that…" Blue muttered darkly as she rolled to the edge of the bed and slowly stumbled out. She waved her hand dismissively (and uncoordinatedly). "Now get out. I need privacy."

"Your wish is my command." Nathan winked, turning off the flashlight and exiting the room. "Be quick about it, Primary--Oliver and the gang will be picking us up in half an hour."

Blue got ready quickly, shoving a few clothes in a small suitcase along with a backpack of paleontology books and National Geographic issues to read on the drive. She slung the backpack over her shoulder, grabbed the rolling suitcase by its handle and quietly left the room. She left the bed unmade.

As she closed her door, she heard Nathan talking on the phone to someone. His voice was low and tinged with urgency.

"You know I can't dare go against my dad. The old bastard will have my hide and enjoy doing it." Nathan listened to whoever was on the other end. "Well, she might get a kick out of it, but you really can't tell with her… she's responsible, for all her bluster. Look, we'll figure it out when we get there. I'll see you soon. 'Kay. Bye."

Nathan hung up and turned to see Blue standing in the hallway. She turned her head slightly and blinked; her classic "fess up" face.

"Oliver's not too pleased you're joining us." Nathan shrugged. "You know how he gets."

Actually, Blue knew Oliver to be one of the most laidback people she'd ever met, but she said nothing. A whiff of suspicion had entered her brain and floated around in there. Clearly, Nate and Co. were planning something that parents would not approve of.

She definitely had to get in on this.

"We should probably wait outside, or they'll honk the horn and wake everyone up," she suggested.

"Good idea," Nate agreed.

Suspicions in mind and suitcase in hand, Blue followed her brother down the stairs.

* * *

Oliver was driving, of course. Laidback he may have been, but Oliver was nonetheless the de facto leader of Nate's group of friends. Caleb, Oliver's girlfriend, sat shotgun with her red-gold locks tumbling down her back and over her shoulders like usual, her alert green cat eyes reminiscent of Vivien Leigh. Robbie, the group's resident joker, sat curled up in the backseat. Her thin, petite frame was made even tinier by her position, her bright scarlet hair lying lank and limp hiding her elfin, freckle-splattered face. Next to Robbie was the slightly more awake Phil, the newest addition to the gang, Phil's charisma and charm extended to every aspect of his personality, from his choice of clothes to his perfectly shaven face and stylish haircut he'd gotten for his chestnut hair.

"Hop on in!" Oliver gestured, grinning. He'd recently grown out his straight jet-black hair, pulling it into a short ponytail. His almond eyes flashed like they had been filled with quicksilver and his odd, yet graceful manner of movement reminded one of a praying mantis.

Every single one of them was the child of a member of the one percent--although they had always been given high expectations as far as academics were concerned, partying was and always had been a way of life for them.

Nathan put their luggage in the trunk and then climbed in. Blue squished in between him and the window, pulling the door shut behind her. She then pulled out the comedic (and yet scientific) book The Care and Keeping of Dinosaurs and buried her nose in it for the duration of the trip.

When the car finally slowed, Blue saw that they were at a private airport. She frowned with her eyes, the edges crinkling up and narrowing. "This doesn't look like the Hamptons."

"Nice book," Caleb commented. "You're into dinosaurs, huh?"

Blue slipped her book back into her backpack. "Yeah; I want to be a paleontologist when I grow up." She made a face. "That sound so childish--when I grow up."

Caleb laughed, but not unkindly. "I know what you mean."

While the boys unloaded the trunk, Robbie slowly uncurled herself from her tight ball. "Coffee, now." She yawned, stumbling out of the car. "Oh, heya, Blue."

"Hey there." Blue smiled.

"Your coffee is here, as promised, milady," Caleb said with a quirk of her lips, handing Robbie a tall thermos.

"Caramel mocha cappuccino?" Robbie's slack features perked up, transforming her from a sleeping Titania to a mischief-filled Puck. She took the offered thermos and gulped it greedily, tipping her head back so that Blue could see how her throat moved with each swallow.

"And we have signs of life! The patient is responding to the treatment!" Nathan said, grinning at Robbie. She flipped him the bird, but her eyes danced with laughter.

"C'mon, guys, our plane leaves in twenty minutes," Oliver reminded them.

"Why do we need a plane to get to the Hamptons?" Blue asked.

Oliver and Nate exchanged a look. "We'll explain on the plane, okay Primary?" Nate said finally.

Blue frowned with her mouth as well as her eyes this time, folding her arms accusingly. "Just what ridiculous idea do you all have in your heads this time?" She demanded.

"Don't worry about it," Phil said soothingly. Blue gave him a look that said  _you really think your bimbo-scoring moves are going to work on me?_

"Trust me, Bluebird--it's all fine. I just didn't want to take forever to explain it to pops," Nate said. "You know how the old bastard is."

Blue slowly unfolded her arms, but her frown did not waver. "Only because I know how he is am I going to trust you on this, Nate. You are going to have a lot of explaining to do when we get on this metal bird," She said, stalking off towards the waiting plane.

Ah, yes, nothing like a little sibling disagreement to start off an absurdly early morning.

"I told you not to lie to her, Nathan," Blue could hear Caleb say as she walked away.

* * *

"Okay, Nate--spill."

They were sitting in the small but luxurious aircraft, courtesy of Oliver's media-mogul father.

Caleb and Oliver were curled up in one large semi-reclining chair, Caleb resting in Oliver's lap like a contented cat. Phil was at the mini bar, pouring himself a scotch on the rocks and scrolling through the contacts on his phone, and Robbie was lounging in a chair like she'd been dropped in it boneless. Nathan sat across from Blue, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath before beginning.

"Have you heard of Underground River?" Nathan asked.

Blue nodded. The nightclub company was named after an essay/poem written by a man under the influence of opium as he tried to explain the feeling the drug gave him. There had been three--two in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The one in Los Angeles had been styled in a futuristic manner almost like the Tron films, while the two in NYC had been in a space-western and steampunk style, respectively. The owner of the wildly popular nightclubs, Gary Janus, had been under investigation for using the nightclubs as a front for his drug trafficking business, but the police had been forced to drop the charges through lack of evidence. The investigation, however, had succeeded in getting his nightclubs closed down.

"Didn't he have to shut down or something?" Blue asked. It had been a pretty big deal six months or so ago, even earning an article in the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Aldrich's bible.

"Well… kind of." Nathan looked over at Oliver, who shrugged as if to say 'she's  _your_  sister'.

"He had to shut down his nightclubs, but that doesn't mean he's out of the game. Mr. Janus is nothing if not an enterprising businessman. He always finds a way around the rules," Phil said, casually strolling over and settling into a seat near Blue.

"You want to explain it?" Nathan asked. It was meant as a reprimand, but Phil took it as an invitation.

"Underground River might have gotten enough of a bad rap, what with cops watching him, to shut down the clubs in more… legitimate… areas, but apparently, Janus already was working on a more… exclusive club spot." Phil shifted, and Blue sensed that he was now laying on his signature charm. "There's an old InGen site on a small island called Isla Sorna off the coast of Costa Rica--it's a part of a group of five islands."

"I've heard of it," Blue said. She'd heard rumors of a failed dinosaur-themed park on those islands. There'd also been a whisper of something else going on there, but Mr. Aldrich, despite being an investor in InGen, had never said anything no matter how much Blue pestered him (and she'd really, really pestered him).

"InGen's been on the rocks for years, so they sold the island to Janus. There's an old InGen complex on the island that he's redone as a kind of futuristic Dinotopia theme. It's the perfect setup--far away from any prying government eyes, and plenty of room to expand and do whatever his budget will allow. It's said he spared no expense," Phil explained.

"It's also the perfect place to run a drug operation," Blue pointed out.

Phil waved a hand and gave her a sure-of-himself, cocky grin. "I wouldn't worry about that. It could be that the people running the drug operation had nothing to do with him and only used the nightclubs for convenience. They could even have been employees of the club. He could have been framed. Or, he could very well be a drug lord. It doesn't matter. What matters is that his opening night is tomorrow evening, and it's an exclusive event. Word was spread very carefully by word of mouth. An 'I know someone who knows someone' situation. Somebody told me, and I told the others, and here we are!"

He leaned back, linking his hands behind his head. Blue rolled her eyes and leaned back into her chair.

"So what you're telling me is that the lot of you is going to a wildlife-filled island in the middle of nowhere to party at a shady nightclub owned by a possible drug kingpin away from any medical or law assistance? And in the middle of hurricane season, may I remind you," Blue pointed out. "Supposedly that's what shut down InGen's Jurassic Park plans in the first place--too many hurricanes to make it reliable. Their entire electrical system shut down one time. You guys really think this is a good idea?"

"Look, Blue it's perfectly safe. Whatever else Janus is, he's a good businessman. He's not going to put his patrons at risk, and I'm sure he has security and first aid kits or something should somebody get a little too rowdy," Nathan assured her. "I'm sure there's a bedroom or something where you can hang out, and we'll only be there for a couple of days. We are actually heading back to the Hamptons for the rest of the week after that."

Blue did not relax, her face set and her jaw clenched just a little, but she saw no way out of this potential mess. She was on a plane headed to this place, and the only reasonable thing to do would be to accept her situation and roll with it. If nothing else, she trusted Nathan. He would never put her in danger, and that knowledge was enough to keep her sane and feeling safe.

After a moment of contemplation, she nodded. "I'm not going to be a brat about this, and I'll keep your secret when we get back home. But you, Nate the Great, owe me big time."

"How about a two-year platinum membership to the Natural History Museum and I pay to get your car all fixed up?" Nathan said cajolingly.

Blue pretended to think about it a minute before nodding to hide her smirk. She'd have settled for just the membership, but hey, she needed to take care of her little VW and it wasn't going to happen soon on her dime.

"I suppose that would be acceptable," she said.

Nathan grinned with relief and sat back. "Okay then!" He said, his grin widening. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

Blue had to admit that she was a little intimidated when they disembarked. The plane had landed on a small private airfield in Costa Rica, where they had been greeted by an Underground River employee and boarded a helicopter. The copter had then flown them out over the sapphire blue ocean and landed on a small landing pad near a waterfall.

Stepping out onto the concrete of the landing pad, Blue looked around at the vast amount of green. She had never been in the presence of so much green at one time, and it was beautiful. The foliage was dense, however, and there were dark patches and recesses that gave her a little shiver. There could be anything lurking in there, and while Blue didn't scare easily, she could sense the primal air of the place, and it daunted her. Before InGen had come along, had anyone been on this island? Or had Hispanic construction workers and ambitious corporate executives been the first humans to set foot on this place?

"C'mon, Primary!" Nathan called to her, waving for her to join them. Some kind of jeep had pulled up and two Underground River employees were busily loading the gang's luggage into the back. Blue hurried over and joined them, climbing into the vehicle next to her stepbrother.

"I wonder how on earth he got all this equipment without anyone noticing," Blue mused.

"A lot of it was here when we started setting up shop, actually," one of the employees said conversationally as he climbed into the front passenger seat. His colleague got into the driver seat and started the car.

"This doesn't have the InGen logo on it or anything," Blue observed.

"No, we redesigned everything to go with the futuristic style of the club--no tacky theme colors or corporate insignias here." The employee (who was dressed in a style reminiscent of a Jedi Padawan and lacking a nametag) appeared to enjoy explaining everything to Blue and the others. Most likely the other groups had been too busy joking and messing around to pay attention to him and his fellow employees.

"There was an entire hotel, with a restaurant and gift shop, along with various administrative offices and what appeared to be a science lab. It was connected to some kind of electric tour so we assumed it was for actors or something. They had pictures of DNA and stuff everywhere. Anyway, there was plenty of room to use, so the hotel rooms were redecorated and the restaurant and visitor's center redone as a massive bar and nightclub. You know, the usual.

"It's all futuristic, of course, as that's the common theme, but the particular style is based on the book Dinotopia."

"The movie was so cheesy," Nate said, and everyone chuckled.

"I guess you can relate, then," Robbie teased, winking at him. Nathan shoved her good-naturedly.

"We didn't really touch the rest of the park--the fences and all--but we did create an outside partying area," the employee went on. "We used whatever equipment there was, and believe me, there was a lot; these jeeps, for instance. We mostly just had to redesign stuff so it fit the nightclub's style."

"Were you involved in the construction process?" Caleb asked.

"Yes." The employee nodded.

"I don't mean to pry, but isn't that a little unusual? My father owns a large restaurant conglomerate, and the different divisions of employment are kept entirely separate. Those hired for hospitality aspects aren't even involved in the food-making process, for example. Yet you're also our guide, so to speak," Caleb explained.

Blue's respect for the girl rose a notch.

"That is normally true," the employee said, "But I'm sure you're aware of the delicate situation Mr. Janus is in regarding this nightclub. He wanted to hire as few people as possible--the less people who know, the less chance of word getting out, if get my drift. We were put through a very rigorous interview and application process."

Caleb nodded, relaxing into her seat. Oliver casually slung his arm around her.

The drive took roughly ten minutes, giving Blue plenty of time to gawk at the dense, wild, untouched jungle that flourished on either side of the dirt road. The air was warm and contained just a touch of humidity, and she wondered if this had been what it was like during the Mesozoic era. Perhaps that was why John Hammond, InGen C.E.O., had chosen this island as the site of his park.

They finally pulled up in front of a large, spacious building painted in earth tones, with the window panes cut into interesting geometric shapes and terra-cotta colored pavement tiles. There were pieces of stone that looked like predatory dinosaur teeth hanging over the doorway and sticking up from the stair platform, like menacing stalagmites and stalactites. The building looked both futuristic and yet recalled the Italian Renaissance at the same time.

Two porters hurried out and unloaded the luggage, assuring the group that it would be carried up to their rooms. The girls would be sharing one room and the boys another. The rooms themselves were spacious and luxurious, decked out in that futuristic style that was strangely historical, with large beds and bathtubs big enough to hold four people.

"When the bomb hits, this is definitely where you should duck and cover," Blue noted, rapping the edge of the tub. The tub would not look amiss in the Medici household, save for the fact that it was made out of some shiny metallic material that was vaguely reminiscent of  _Star_ _Trek_  for some reason.

Caleb checked her watch. The two elder girls had changed into tasteful yet revealing dresses. Caleb's was a dark, slightly iridescent green that was a shade darker than her eyes; it had one wide shirt-sleeve shoulder, while the other shoulder was bare. The dress stopped just above her knees. Robbie's dress was silver with blue accents, and was strapless. While it went down to mid-calf, the dress had slits at each leg that went all the way up to just above mid-thigh. Both dresses were very form-fitting.

"We're going to meet the boys and go on down to the club," Caleb told her. "It's about five forty-five now, and the grand opening is at six."

Blue nodded and made herself comfortable in one of the chairs, pulling out another paleontology book--this one by a Dr. Alan Grant on the intelligence of raptors.

There was a knock on the door and Robbie opened the door to allow Nathan in. His eyes raked up her body, and she grinned at him. "Take a picture, Nate, it'll last longer," she joked, shutting the door behind him.

"I just wanted to check up on you," Nathan said to Blue. "I won't lie to you--we'll probably be down there until at least midnight, if not longer. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call my cell. I don't want you going down into that club if you can help it, though. You're not even eighteen yet."

Blue sighed. "I can take care of myself, Nathan. You guys go and have fun." She took in his appearance. "Nice outfit." Her mouth twisted into a smirk.

Nathan wore a pair of very nice blue jeans and a midnight blue dress shirt that complimented his dark eyes. While they didn't match in the usual way and Blue was sure it was unintentional, Nathan and Robbie's outfits complimented each other. The two of them made a nice couple, at least physically speaking.

"Seriously, you guys go have fun. If you're going to break the rules you might as well go whole hog and enjoy yourselves. I'll be up here, being my boring old self," Blue said, waving her book so that they could see it.

Nathan came up to her and gave her a peck on her forehead. "If you say so, Bluebird," he said, smiling. Blue smiled back.

The three of them left the room, closing the door behind them with a soft snick.

Blue looked around the room. "Well this, at least, is kind of like the Hamptons," she said to herself, before settling down to read.


	3. More Wrong Than Drugs?

Blue looked at her trusty watch. It was a small watch, gold and silver, with a tiny, delicate face. It wasn't terribly expensive, but Blue liked it. It had once belonged to her mother, but she'd given it to Blue once she'd received a more expensive one.

It was almost one o'clock.

Blue wasn't surprised that the time had flown. Dr. Grant was said to be as cranky as they came but he wrote convincingly and articulately, presenting his arguments well and in a way that was easy to understand. His latest book was engrossing, showing his theory on raptor intelligence. His basic argument was that raptors were almost as smart as modern-day monkeys, working together in a highly sophisticated pack similar to modern day wolves. He had tried to base as little evidence on his time on Isla Nublar as possible, and had made few references to it. Blue was disappointed, but understood. From what she'd heard, his time there had been stressful, to say the least.

She flipped the book over and looked at the picture of the author on the back cover. Dr. Alan Grant had a wide, tanned face with snapping blue eyes that crinkled in the corners when he smiled. His mouth was wide but flat, and his lips curled inward instead of outward.

The biography on the back inner flap of the dust jacket read as follows:

_Dr. Alan Grant is one of the world's leading paleontologists, having studied at UC Berkeley. He has been out in the field digging up dinosaurs for the past fifteen years, and has discovered and helped to document over eighteen new species of dinosaur. When he's not out in the field or giving a lecture, Dr. Grant spends time with his wife, Ellie, and his stepson, Charlie._

It was short and to the point. Blue wondered if the Ellie mentioned was Ellie Sattler, the paleobotonist who had also gone to Isla Nublar, but she thought Dr. Sattler had married a Mark Debson, who was involved in international treaties or something like that. Well, it did say 'stepson', so maybe…

Blue stood up to stretch her legs, which had started to cramp. She walked over to the window and peered down. The hotel room was on the far right, and overlooked what appeared to be an abandoned pen of some sort, and the dark, foreboding jungle. The pen was high-tech, to say the least, and upon closer inspection, actually looked like a deep, plant-filled pit with electric barbed wire and metal bars covering it.

 _What were they trying to house in there--a dragon?_  Blue thought sarcastically.

Then she saw it.

A frond growing next to a large tree moved… was moved  _by_  something… something that was definitely not human. There was a ghost of a shape, a glimpse of (was that stripes?), the gleam of what might have been an eye or perhaps teeth glinting off the light shining out from the windows…

And then it was gone.

_It._

Blue's throat seized up, and her fingernails dug into her palms. Some unidentifiable, primal feeling surged through her, nearly choking her. The intellectual part of Blue's brain was forcefully shut off as the subconscious fight-or-flight part of her was jolted awake, screaming at her to hoist the sails, weight anchor, all hands on deck because something was very, very wrong here!

Blue stuffed her book back into her backpack, zipped the backpack shut, and placed it carefully behind the chair so it wouldn't be immediately seen by anyone--or anything--that entered the room. She turned and inspected herself in the mirror. Faded jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a dark purple cotton hoodie. She looked down at her sensible running sneakers ruefully. She looked like she was going to watch television or play at a park--not go to a nightclub. She hadn't packed any fancy outfits, either.

Part of her wanted to sit back down, turn on the TV and forget what she'd seen, but that clenching feeling in her stomach refused to dissipate. Something was wrong, and she needed to talk to Nathan.

"And here I said I wouldn't go into a nightclub if you paid me," Blue muttered, pulling open the hotel room door and leaving.

* * *

Sneaking to the nightclub was easier than expected.

First off, the nightclub was pretty much the entire first floor, so it would have been difficult to post bouncers at every point. Secondly, no one expected anyone underage to even be on the island, never mind trying to sneak in. Third of all, it was easy to blend into the crowd. The sheer number of people was astounding, and the crowd was kind of crushing. The music was so loud the base made the walls pound, sending pulses of rhythm through the floor and up your body, forcing people to yell into one another's ears if they harbored any hope of being heard over the din.

So yeah, Blue was pretty sure she'd lucked out on this one.

Finding Nathan once she was in the nightclub, however, was another matter. Blue wasn't even 5'4", and if you added that plus the fact that ninety percent of the women were wearing ridiculously high heels, it made it pretty difficult for her to find anyone in the crowd.

Eventually, she decided to head to the bar. Maybe she could hop up onto a barstool and get a bird's eye view of the area. But luck was with her that night, and while it took her roughly half an hour to even reach the bar, once she got there she found Nathan, Robbie, and Phil tossing back shots with a gaggle of girls (half of them with dyed blonde hair) and a gang of African-American guys.

"Nate!" Blue yelled, coming to stand in front of him.

Nathan blinked, and then frowned. "This had better be an effect of alcohol and not real, Primary," he yelled.

Blue grabbed him by his shirt sleeve and yanked him down so that his ear was by her mouth. "Something's really wrong here!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Blue saw an employee handing someone what looked suspiciously like a back of nose powder--the kind that went up your nose, not on it.

Nathan followed her gaze and rolled his eyes. "More wrong than drugs?" He asked.

Blue glared at him. "I'm serious! There's something out there in the jungle; something big! And it's definitely not human!"

Robbie leaned in. "What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.

"I saw something in the trees surrounding the building!" Blue shouted. "It was some kind of creature! I think it had scales or something!"

"I think you've had too little sleep and too many dinosaur books!" Nathan yelled. "You shouldn't be here, Bluebird!"

"Oh, and you should?" Blue shot back.

She took a deep breath and tried again. "I know this sounds crazy, but I know what I saw! My gut is telling me that something is very wrong here! We need to get out! You heard the InGen rumors same as I did--hell, the entire business world did! Maybe there was some truth to the crazier rumors! Maybe what happened in San Diego wasn't a stunt!"

"I think you're overreacting!" Nathan yelled. "It's not like a Tyrannosaurus is going to burst through the walls–"

While they burst through the windows and not the walls, and they certainly weren't Tyrannosaurs, Robbie would later half-heartedly joke that Nathan had jinxed them, because at that exact moment all hell broke loose.

The InGen rumors weren't true.

This was worse than any rumor Blue had ever heard.


	4. This is Probably a Bad Idea

They were raptors. Honest to God, cross your heart and hope to die, out of the shadows of your nightmares raptors.

And they were huge.

 _Utahraptors,_  Blue thought unconsciously, recognizing the height and leathery scaled skin. Once mistaken as Velociraptors, Utahraptors were six feet tall… and arguably the deadliest dinosaurs that ever lived.

Lived. As in, they shouldn't be there now. Alive. Walking…

No, jumping. They were  _leaping_  through the windows, shattering them, landing in the middle of the crowd (on top of a few unlucky individuals) and snarling. Their eyes gleamed and drool dripped from a couple of jaws.

Blue backed away until her back was against the bar counter. The raptors had a tan-green skin color, with mottled stripe-like patterns on their tails and near their eyes. The eyes themselves were yellow and gleaming, but they gleamed with intelligence.

_They know what they're doing._

The raptors wasted no time, leaping up with their feet extended, their curved killer claw gleaming in the light from the hanging lights, slashing with deadly precision into the chests and stomachs of the people around them. Strangled cries of agony filled the air, adding to the panic as people ran around, pushing and shoving to get out and away.

"Come on!" Nathan yelled. He grabbed Robbie with one hand and Blue with the other, pulling them to him and heading towards where they thought the door was. Phil, his eyes wide with shock, was right next to Blue, on her right side.

Bodies were everywhere. There were no more humans, no more people--just bodies that moved around under the pulsing lights like crazed animals. And, in those moments, that was what they were.

Bodies were underneath them, too. Some were crawling, moaning, while others just lay there, silent. Bits of intestine and other organs were scattered everywhere, and blood was splattered all over the floor. Blue knew that, although she couldn't see at the moment, the raptors were eating their still-screaming victims alive.

Comically, the music was still playing, the DJ having abandoned his post without a second thought to turning off his equipment. It was strange, listening to the latest pop bands rock out while all this horror was going on around her. If this were a film, the talents of Katy Perry and Foster the People would have long given way to tense action music involving violins and pounding drums.

They were roughly halfway to the door when two things happened at once. Both Blue and Phil slipped on a puddle of blood flowing out of the abdomen of a red-sequined-dress-wearing corpse, and a raptor leaped down at them from atop the chandelier from whence it had been swinging.

Nathan yanked hard on Blue's arm, pulling her forward in an attempt to get her out of the way but actually making her fall to the ground, and the raptor sailed just over her lower back, missing her by a hair's breadth, and hitting Phil instead.

Phil and the raptor were sent sprawling, landing hard. Phil jumped up, scrambling to get away, but the raptor recovered and was on him. Phil's high, cold scream wrenched Blue's guts and shot through to her bones, rattling her teeth and shaking her very core.

Blue was on the floor now, her hand having escaped Nathan's as she fell. She tried to stand up but the chandelier the raptor had been swinging on fell.

The last image Blue remembered was disjointed--a series of tiny fragments instead of one large picture. A small, scaly  _something_  crying out, Phil's white, blood-speckled face, Nathan pinning Robbie to him protectively and yelling out "Blue!" and another raptor striding confidently in between Blue and her brother, forcing Nathan to back away slowly, no matter how reluctantly.

But then the chandelier crashed down onto her head, and the lights shut out.

* * *

Shiny… everything was shiny… Sparkly, too… she was in a world of sparkling, shining light… pouring through into the air, pooling in patches of space, bouncing off of dancing sparkling bits of glass…

Golden… golden and white and such a spectrum of colors… so many colors, separate and combined… parts that were so colorful they were no color at all, just a shining light…

For one, shining moment, Blue was in a heaven of color. Every color, every shade, tone and tint was there before her eyes, surrounding her and making her feel light and airy. She was almost a being of color herself.

Then there was a crunching noise, and the world of color almost zoomed in as her eyes focused sharply and she became aware of her surroundings.

She was lying on the ground, her stomach pressed to the floor, pinned down by a heavy ornate chandelier. Bits of broken glass (most likely from said chandelier) were all around her. And that wasn't all that was around her--there was a dead body every few feet, no matter what direction she turned her head.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and a shower of glass fell around her. Blue wiggled experimentally, and found that the chandelier had her pinned in between two ornate arms, giving her the room to slide out from underneath it.

Moving slowly, trying to sweep away the glass around her without cutting herself, Blue slithered out from underneath the offending furnishing. Once free, she stood up slowly, brushing off glass from her clothing. She had a few small cuts on her arms, but nothing major, and they all appeared to have clotted and were on their way to scabbing. She gazed around her slowly, unable to do anything other than take it all in.

The amount of blood and guts was insane. It would have made her throw up, if she'd been able to believe it was real. She almost couldn't accept that this was real, that this had actually happened. The inane thought occurred to her that horror and war films simply didn't do dead bodies justice. This level of carnage… it was insane. It was bordering on absurd, and Blue had to fight the sudden urge to laugh.

She was in shock. She had to sit down and think; she needed to figure out what her next step was. She needed…

She needed a drink.

Stepping carefully, avoiding the body parts (some bodies were fucking torn apart!), broken furniture, and pools of both alcohol and blood, Blue made her way over to the bar. She had never drunk alcohol before, and she didn't plan to--she needed to keep her head on straight. Instead, she searched for something else.

Finding a can of soda, she opened it and drank greedily. The bubbles soothed her throat, refreshing her. She set the empty can down on the bar counter with a satisfying thunk.

Blue looked around. Her memory of the moment before she was knocked unconscious was a bit disorganized, but she clearly remembered Nathan and Robbie being stalked by a raptor while Nathan yelled for her.

Swallowing to try and moisten her suddenly dry throat, Blue walked back over to where she'd been hit by the chandelier. She spared the mutilated corpse of Phil a glance, before gazing at the spot where she remembered Nate and Robbie standing.

There were no bodies around that spot.

Slowly heading towards the door, which was where her brother and his friend would have headed, Blue scanned the room, looking for them. Their bodies were nowhere to be found.

Blue's knees trembled and her legs morphed into jelly. She leaned back against the nearest wall, relief flooding her body and nearly making her collapse. So Nate and Robbie had escaped the building. That was something.

Sinking down until she was sitting against the wall, Blue pondered what their next move would be. Nathan was level-headed but could be impulsive, and Robbie was quick-thinking but stubborn. They both cared for their friends. So, the first thing they would do would be to find Oliver and Caleb.

Blue looked around the room slowly. She saw no women wearing Caleb's dress, and no men that looked like Oliver--the only other Asian man was an employee with his lower half missing.

All right, so it appeared that Oliver and Caleb were also alive. Whether they'd managed to rendezvous with Nate and Robbie was another story, one that Blue couldn't learn the ending to just yet.

Once they had met up with their friends--or learned of their deaths--Nathan and Robbie would want to head somewhere safe. No, scratch that. They'd want to get off the island, but they would have to settle on somewhere safe until they could figure out how to get off.

Blue trusted that Nathan would want to find her, if he thought she was alive. She considered this for a minute. Would Nathan know she was only knocked out? Or would he think she was dead?

That gave her two possible scenarios. Either Nathan would come back to try and find her, or he would move on, thinking she was dead. Blue considered for a moment before deciding on the latter. If she had seen someone hit by a chandelier as big as the one that had fallen on her, she'd put money on their demise, too.

Not to mention she'd been knocked out surrounded by vicious prehistoric predators.

Okay, so Nathan would assume she was dead. That meant he'd try to get off the island. Blue had neither heard of nor seen any airfield other than the helicopter pad, and while she knew there was a pier, there weren't any boats there. Any boats that might or might not be there would definitely be out of order and besides, Nathan and the others wouldn't try to find some clever way of escape. They'd go for the simple solution, which was going out the same way they came in.

They would be heading for the helicopter pad.

Blue got up, dusting off her pants. She would go up to the room--she had a key in her pocket--grab her backpack and head out. She wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't leave empty handed, just wandering through the jungle when there were raptors and God knew what out there.

She had just taken a few steps when she heard it; the sound that had snapped her out of her color stupor.

It was a distinct crunching noise, like something was stepping on bits of glass.

She wasn't alone.

Blue pressed herself back against the wall, her heart revving its engines and racing off like it was going to win the NASCAR races. She didn't move a muscle, instead letting her eyes roam around the room to find the source of the noise.

For a moment, all the dead quiet, and she saw nothing. Then, she heard the sound again, and she swiveled her head to look towards it.

Just a few feet from the chandelier was a large piano, only with a futuristic design. It was the thing that Phil and the raptor had crashed against last night after the raptor landed on him. The great instrument had toppled over onto its side at some point, and one of the massive legs had pinned something underneath it, just as the chandelier had pinned Blue.

Bile rose up in Blue's throat as she realized that the thing was pinned by its tail…

It was a raptor.

Panic shot through her veins like it was one of the drugs being sold at the nightclub. Blue's entire body gave a shudder, and she felt her stomach tighten in preparation for vomiting. She swallowed, her throat constricting slightly.

Slowly, almost in a trance, Blue took a few cautious steps towards the pinned creature. As she got closer, she could observe it much better.

It was small, much smaller than the other raptors. Blue guessed that it must be younger as well. Last night could have been its first outing.

"I guess your family was showing you the ropes, huh?" She said softly, still circling the raptor warily.

The raptor made a pitiable, scratchy whining noise, twisting and turning in an attempt to free its tail. It was actually kind of cute, in a weird, lizard-like way. Like the other raptors, it had dark green almost-stripes on its tail, only the markings around the eyes were a bright red.

"I wonder if color determines sexes… are you a boy or a girl?" Blue asked.

The raptor made no reply.

Feeling bolder, Blue walked up to the raptor and crouched a few feet away, out of reach of its deadly teeth and claws.

The raptor appeared to notice Blue for the first time. It swiveled its head, cocking it and looking at her inquisitively. It blinked, gazing straight into Blue's eyes. Blue was startled at what she saw. This wasn't like looking at a dumb beast--this raptor had intelligence. She could read the soul in its eyes, just like she could with a human.

"You can think, can't you?" Blue asked.

The raptor made a tiny cry, and then glanced back at its tail in frustration. The poor thing was stuck on its side, and couldn't even do more than wiggle its legs and arms helplessly.

"This is probably a bad idea," Blue said, although whether she was speaking to the raptor or herself, she wasn't sure. She stepped closer, watching the raptor carefully.

"If I help you, you have to promise not to attack me," she said. She kept her voice low and soothing, like she was talking to a frightened child or a potentially dangerous dog. "I'm going to get your tail out, okay? Can you hold still?"

The raptor wiggled again. Blue held up a hand in a 'stop' motion. "Hold," she said.

The raptor looked at her curiously, as if trying to decipher what the motion and word meant. Taking a deep breath, Blue put her hand forcefully on the raptor, making it stop moving.

"Hold," she repeated.

The raptor lay still. Its eyes watched as Blue crouched down by the piano leg. Slowly, straining and grunting with effort, she lifted the leg an inch, just enough for the raptor to sweep its tail out from underneath.

The raptor immediately jumped up, turning and twisting to try and assess the damage to its tail. The limb appeared fine, but bruised. One part of the skin had split and was oozing a bit of blood.

"This is probably a bad idea, too, but if you come with me I can patch that up for you," she said.

The raptor turned and looked at her. Unlike its older pack mates, this raptor was only as tall as Blue. It was definitely a juvenile.

"Come on," she gestured, waving her hand for the raptor to join her.

The raptor cocked its head at Blue again curiously.

"Come," she repeated, making the waving gesture again.

The raptor came, standing in front of Blue and looking at her in wonderment.

Blue started walking, weaving in between the bodies and towards the stairs. The raptor followed, making no noise as it padded silently alongside her. It occasionally snapped at dead bodies, but other than that it just watched Blue as if waiting for instruction.

"It's a wonder you haven't eaten me yet. Don't I look like food to you?" She asked.

The raptor didn't reply, just looking at her curiously.

"You look pretty young, though… maybe you haven't learned what's food and what isn't. I bet I look pretty different then your usual dinner, huh?" Blue mused.

Blue remembered Dr. Grant's book. Raptors were pack animals that raised the young together. The young would be kept safe in the nesting area until they were old enough, and then would join the adults in hunting. This must have been this young raptor's first time.

Although, why the raptor hadn't attacked her… the only solution that Blue could come up with was that the raptor had been treated nicely by her; helped by her. It had therefore deemed her a friend.

Blue made her way to the room, the raptor at her side the entire time. When she entered the room, the raptor wasted no time in exploring.

Blue quickly grabbed her backpack and headed into the bathroom to get first aid supplies. "Come!" She called to the raptor.

The raptor stopped sniffing Caleb's underwear and followed Blue obediently. It stopped when it caught sight of itself in the mirror.

The raptor gazed at itself; teeth bared, and cocked its head. Then it stopped, and took a tiny step back. It waved its tail. The raptor in the mirror did the same. The raptor made a tiny noise and pulled its facial muscles in what Blue could only call a grin.

"You recognized yourself in the mirror." Her voice was hushed, almost reverent. "You know there are only three animals that can do that, right? Chimpanzees, dolphins and humans."

She could barely breathe as she watched the raptor examine its reflection. It was strangely breathtaking.

"You're at least as smart as a dolphin," Blue went on. "Wow… I'm… I'm watching a dinosaur recognize itself in a mirror! Holy shit…"

The raptor finally looked at Blue, as if to say 'Now, what?'

Blue showed the raptor the salve and bandages. "This might hurt a little," she apologized. She gently gripped the raptor's tail and dabbed some salve on it.

The raptor jerked and made a noise of pain, but did not shy away. Blue spoke soothingly as she dabbed more salve on and wrapped the tail in the bandage.

"It's okay, baby… there you go, look at that! You're going to be good as new… good baby, good raptor. Just hold still now… ta-da! All better!"

Blue stepped back and watched as the raptor used the mirror to examine its tail. After deciding that no damage had been done, the raptor approached Blue. She took an involuntary step back, immediately on high alert. The raptor took another step towards her, then lifted its head and nuzzled her just under the chin with the top of its head.

"Um… thank you?" Blue said tentatively. The raptor continued to rub its head against her, making a sound rather akin to purring. After a minute, the raptor pulled back, its eyes gleaming happily.

"C'mon," she said, getting up to leave. "We have a helicopter to catch."

The raptor followed obediently, and Blue looked back at it.

It was probably a bad idea, bringing this killing machine along with her. But the raptor hadn't tried to eat her yet, and having it with her might afford her a kind of protection. Besides, a thin, tentative bond had developed between them. Blue could feel within her the slow stirrings of some emotion… it wasn't quite affection, but it might become that, given the chance.

"You're going to need a name."

Blue recalled a line from a film in which one character said to another,  _once you name it, you become attached to it!_

Well, to hell with that. She wasn't going to keep calling the creature 'raptor' or 'you', and something this intelligent deserved a name to call its own.

Bending down, Blue rifled through her backpack until she pulled out a book. The title was Raptor Red.

"Red," Blue tried it out, looking sideways at the raptor. "Do you like it? Come, Red."

The raptor looked at Blue as if analyzing her, and then took a step towards her.

"Red," Blue said again. The raptor made a bobbing motion with its head.

"Okay then," Blue said slowly. "Red it is."

With her new ally by her side, Blue made her way out of the building and stepped into the primal jungle.


	5. If I'm Jack, Then Who's Sawyer?

"Blue!"

Nathan made to go to her, to help her back up from where she'd fallen after slipping on the blood, but a huge raptor stalked forward. Its eyes were currently on the raptor eating the still-writhing Phil, but that could change at any moment. He wanted to risk it, he wanted to charge across the room and get to his sister, but he couldn't. He'd only die, and where would Blue be then?

Of course, there was also Robbie worry about. She was clinging to him, both of her arms wrapped around his left one, her entire body trembling like a thin leaf in a hearty gale, barely hanging on as it fluttered helplessly. He couldn't abandon her.

But he also couldn't abandon Blue.

Then fate made his decision for him, as a chandelier (was that where the raptor that killed Phil had come from?) crashed down on top of Blue, knocking her to the floor… and knocking her out.

Her head hit the floor with a sickening thud, and there was a tinkling sound as glass shattered and fell all around her. The chandelier landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

"Blue!" Her name was ripped out of his throat, an instinctive reaction that he couldn't control. The large raptor turned towards him. Shit.

Instinct tapped his civilized brain on the shoulder, clearing its throat and stepping forward to assert itself. Nathan's body moved, executing motions quickly and fluidly. It was almost as if he'd been preparing for something like this, and he supposed, in such a flight or fight situation, he had. Some part of his subconscious, an ancient, primal part of him long since forgotten and lying dormant had awoken and was now doing its best to keep him alive.

Nate grabbed Robbie tighter, whirling her in his arms but still shielding her from the large raptor. He then sprinted through the screaming, disjointed crowd towards the door, grabbing the nearest person and pulling them, practically throwing them behind him as if they were a hasty offering for the raptor--a last-minute sacrifice to the gods of the prehistoric.

He was running as fast as he could, Robbie at his side. She was clutching his arm, almost panting with the exertion… Nathan reminded himself, ruefully, that consuming alcohol and then undergoing an impromptu workout was not the best idea.

Crashing through the crowd, they reached the huge entrance doors surprisingly quickly. Nathan pushed them open, half dragging Robbie next to him. He was glad, although mildly surprised, that she'd managed to keep up with him in those high heels of hers. They did wonders for setting off her creamy legs, but he doubted they were of much help to her now.

Nathan led her to a small patch of undergrowth that was growing next to one of the low walls that flanked the stairs, ducking down and pulling Robbie with him. He allowed them one moment to catch their breaths, one moment to try and slow their galloping heartbeats down to a trot, before turning to her.

"Take off your heels," Nathan ordered. He was surprised at how his voice managed to sound authoritative; he'd been a little scared it would squeak.

"I'll have to go barefoot," Robbie said, reaching down and pulling off her strappy heels.

"You'll have to deal with it--I'd rather you be uncomfortable then break an ankle. We have to get back to the helicopter, and to do that we'll be on a dirt road. We might even have to cut through the jungle."

"Won't everyone else be thinking the same thing we are?" Robbie asked. She'd removed one shoe and was working on the other. They spoke in hushed, frenzied whispers, their faces inches apart so that they could be quiet and still hear one another.

"Maybe, if they're thinking at all," Nathan replied. He dared a quick glance over the wall and saw that the strobe lights were still sending out their pulses of colored lights, framing the dark, faceless shapes of humans and dinosaurs through the broken windows. Nobody else appeared to have used the door for an exit yet--the outside plaza, driveway, and road were deserted.

"What about Oliver and Caleb? I know Phil was…" Robbie's voice simultaneously trailed off, choked, and squeaked, resulting in a strange strangled noise.

"I didn't see them anywhere in the club. I kind of assumed they'd found somewhere quiet to, y'know, knock boots or something." Nathan brought his left hand up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So they're either oblivious to what's going on or they heard and got out already?" Robbie guessed, following his train of thought.

"It's the only thing I can think of. But I wouldn't trust my brain right now. I'm still kind of…" Nathan shook his head. He moved his right hand to cover his eyes so Robbie wouldn't see his tears, but realized they were still holding hands. He didn't want to let go of hers. He'd waited five years to hold Robbie Everson's hand, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to make it last as long as possible. So he left it where it was, and Robbie got to see the tears well up in his eyes, flushing the skin around them, rimming them in red.

"God, Robbie, she better be dead because if she's alive and I just left her I never…" Nate couldn't finish the sentence. His throat was closed up, unable to make any noise, and a few determined tears overflowed and ran down his cheeks.

In all the years he had known her, Robbie had only had one expression on her face: mischief. Joyful mischief, angry mischief, vengeful mischief, casual mischief, loving mischief… no matter what her emotion, her face had always shown some variation of that natural tease and good-natured scheming that was Robbie. But in the course of the last few minutes, Nathan had seen shock, fear, horror, sadness, and now concern etched onto her pale, elfin features.

Tentatively, almost as if she were unsure how he'd react, Robbie reached up with her right hand--the one that wasn't holding his--and place it on his cheek, cupping it, using her thumb to wipe the tears away. Her left hand squeezed his reassuringly.

"There was nothing you could do. That chandelier was huge, I'm sure…" Robbie hiccupped from trying to keep in her own tears. "I'm sure she'd want you to be safe."

Robbie then blushed, and shifted her gaze from his eyes to the ground. "And I know I'm grateful that you saved me." She looked up at him again. "And I know that you would have saved her if you could."

Nathan nodded dumbly. It was just beginning to sink in, now that the adrenaline rush had subsided, that Blue was gone; dead from a blow to the head or by raptors. His sister was dead, and it was because of him. Because he'd lied and brought her along instead of keeping her somewhere safe. Why didn't they drop her off at the Hamptons, for fuck's sake? She'd have been fine there on her own for the weekend before he arrived.

"I'm going to keep protecting you, Robbie. We're going to make it out of here." He hoped that Blue would forgive him, wherever her soul was now. He knew she'd appreciate his escorting Robbie to safety.

But there was a stone forming in the pit of his stomach, growing and settling in like it was going to be there a while. Nathan swallowed hard to try and dissipate the lump in his throat.

Blue was dead.

And it was his fault.

* * *

"You have got to move your leg."

"Would you mind shifting a little?"

"Seriously, I am  _not_  that limber."

It wasn't their first time, and both Oliver and Caleb liked to think that they were getting pretty good at sex--both in general and with each other. They were starting to find a rhythm, learn what worked and what didn't, and how to please each other while also getting off themselves.

However, while they had been sexually active for a good month now (and only with each other, thank you very much), they still hit the occasional snag.

Trying to have sex against a tree, for example.

Oh, sure, sex in the great outdoors sounded fun and romantic, and it certainly was something to brag about with your buddies or smugly admit in a game of 'Never Have I Ever', but the reality was definitely not living up to expectations. Honestly, if they'd known it was this much trouble they would've just gone up to the boys' hotel room instead of out here.

The spot they had chosen was to the left of the building, more towards the front of the huge complex than the back, in a particularly thick clump of trees that completely hid them from view if you were outside of said clump.

"Wrap your legs around me."

"Lift your butt a little and I'll lift my hips."

Finally in a position that they were both comfortable with, Oliver began to thrust. Their bodies, now well acquainted with how they worked together, quickly picked up speed and soon they were panting and crying out into the darkness, just two animals adding their cries to the night.

Oliver climbed off of Caleb, unsheathing himself and helping her up. They adjusted their clothes and made sure the other looked presentable. Oliver suddenly snaked an arm around Caleb's waist and pulled her close, pecking her on the lips.

"You know you're gorgeous, right?" He asked, smiling.

"You're just cocky because you made me come," Caleb responded, lightly teasing him.

Several crashing sounds broke through the darkness, shattering the silence just like the windows the raptors had burst through. The sound was quickly followed by several piercing screams. Caleb gripped Oliver involuntarily, the screams shooting through the air like arrows to plunge into her, hitting her in the gut. Oliver swallowed hard, his blood freezing and chills chasing each other up his spine.

"What the fuck is that?" He asked.

A faded snippet of memory floated to the top of Caleb's brain. "Hey… you remember those InGen rumors? And that San Diego stunt they pulled?"

Oliver nodded slowly, vaguely recalling hearing something about it. He'd been in his early teens at the time, not really paying attention to anything going on outside his own little part of the universe.

Caleb swallowed a few times--her throat was so dry it had closed up. "Maybe it was all true. Maybe this island really is home to…"

Both of them looked behind and around them, trying to see if there were any ancient eyes staring out at them from the darkness. Suddenly, their tiny tree grove no longer seemed so safe and private. They could be sitting ducks out here.

"We have to find the others," Oliver said. He took a few steps forward, pulling Caleb by the arm, but she was frozen, just staring at the converted InGen building. "C'mon. We can't stay here, and we can't leave Nate and the others."

Caleb seemed to snap out of it a little, and she followed him towards the building obediently. "Oh God, Blue!" She moaned. "We brought Blue and she's just a kid…"

Oliver would've smacked his forehead if he hadn't been so panicked. They'd brought a teenage girl into this too… ah, shit.

As they got closer to the building, they could see through the windows (the strobe lights helpfully illuminating the scene) the most gruesome scene either young adult had ever witnessed. The dinosaurs attacking the helpless partiers looked a little familiar… what were they called? Velociraptors? No… close, but no cigar. What were they?

It didn't really matter what they were called, though, because they were tearing into the guests, shredding their guts like they were made of paper. Oh God, they were eating them alive… they were still screaming…

Caleb trembled. "They're still… oh my God…"

Her stomach suddenly pushed everything back up her throat, and Caleb half-knelt as the remains of her Cosmopolitan and her Lemon Drop made a less-than-glamorous reappearance on the jungle floor.

Oliver rubbed her back soothingly, helping her keep her hair out of her face while she retched her guts out. Her digested food and drink were long since disposed of, but Caleb kept dry heaving, her throat constricting and stomach twisting almost painfully.

After a few moments, her body stilled and her trembling ceased. Oliver helped her stand back up while she sucked in great gulps of air. Every bit of oxygen burned her throat, every swallow of saliva like a drought of liquid metal, searing her esophagus.

"I'm okay now," she said after a minute. She wiped away the tears that had leaked out her eyes when she'd thrown up. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure, babe?" Oliver asked, concerned.

Caleb nodded resolutely. "We have to find Robbie and Nathan, and his sister."

"And Phil," Oliver added as an afterthought.

"Oh, yeah, him too." Caleb nodded.

They started forward again but Oliver stopped them after just a few feet. The screams were louder now, and more had joined in--it wasn't just a few people now, the entire room of patrons was shrieking.

"We can't," Oliver realized. "We can't go in there."

Caleb looked at him, her eyes wide. "What? We have to! They're our friends!"

Oliver's features were contorted with pain. "We can't go after them. What are we going to do? We'll just get eaten ourselves."

Caleb's face was a mask of horror, almost waxy with sweat and lack of blood. "I can't leave them," she said hoarsely.

Oliver tried to speak, but found he couldn't. His voice had abandoned him. Caleb searched his face as if she could find the answer somewhere in there. Oliver always knew what to do, and she'd come to depend upon him. But now, she saw that he was just as lost and afraid as she was. That scared her more than any dinosaur.

Tears trickled down Caleb's face, quickly becoming a flood and she gave in to the need to cry. Oliver pulled her in for a hug, holding her as she shook and sobbed in his arms. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the grisly scene only ten feet away from them, watching as blood was splattered across the few window panes that still remained. The drops slid slowly down the clear glass, looking like a form of macabre raindrops, and Oliver had to swallow down the bile that rose in his throat.

He didn't want to go into that room--every bit of him screamed in protest against the idea. He wanted to stay alive, and staying alive meant staying away from the predator-infested building. But beyond the simple survival instinct, he knew that they couldn't go in there. There was nothing they could do to stop the carnage or assist their friends. If there was, Oliver would have done it that second, his own survival be damned, but there wasn't. If they went in there, they'd only die as well and for no reason.

Caleb knew it, too, no matter how much she hated it, and she continued to cry, her sobs becoming so violent that she hiccupped and had to interrupt her crying to suck in deep breaths. In between each lungful of air, she'd let out another choking sob.

As Caleb slowly calmed herself down, Oliver ran through their options. The minute there was trouble Nathan would have one thought: get to Blue. Blue was upstairs in the girl's hotel room, so that was where Nathan would lead the others. They would most likely hole up there until the carnage was over, and then try to think of a means to get off the island.

Oliver knew they couldn't do anything now, but maybe if they waited it out, stayed hidden out here until dinosaurs had left, they could enter the building and find the others. Or, even better, camp out and wait for the others to reappear outside the building. But what if they were too scared to leave? Okay, so wait until the dinosaurs left and then search the building.

Gently, Oliver led his girlfriend back to the clump of trees. They were completely shielded from sight here, as he'd noted earlier when choosing this spot as their impromptu bedroom, and so the dinosaurs shouldn't see them. Besides, he was pretty sure they'd come from the opposite end of the building, or they would've passed right by them on their way to their prey. Oliver was certain that he and Caleb wouldn't be standing there right then if the predators had stumbled upon them on their way to the main course. Can you say appetizer?

Sinking down to sit with his back against a particularly large tree, Oliver continued to hold Caleb. She had quieted down enough to notice her surroundings again, and looked at him questioningly.

"There's nothing we can do now, but if we wait it out we can go back in and look for them, after… after it's all over." Oliver tried not to think about what they'd find when they went back into the building. He shuddered slightly. "Nathan might not have grown up with Blue but the two are close. He's going to want to get to her."

"And she's up in the room," Caleb finished his thought. "But once they get her, won't they try to leave?"

"Would you want to go back down there after you'd just escaped?" Oliver asked.

Caleb's face, which had begun to regain its normal hue, went white again. There was no need to answer him.

Oliver took a deep breath and went on. "Once they get to the room, they're going to want to stay there. It's relatively safe--I don't think those, those things are going to go searching the place. I'm sure the, um, they'll get their fill… fuck, I hate even thinking about it… they're going to leave once they tear open enough stomachs and I doubt they'll need any more after the fucking feast they've got going on now. So they'll stay in the room until the creatures leave, and then…"

"They'll hightail it for the helicopter," Caleb finished.

Oliver looked at her. That hadn't occurred to him. "The helicopter?"

"Yes. They'll want to get off the island. Don't you want to get off? Are you telling me you want to spend one more minute on this fucking place then you have to? There's only one way off that I know of, and that's the helicopter pad. So that's where they'll head."

Oliver closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree, groaning a little. "And the only way to that is along that dirt road. There's nothing but jungle on either side. We'll be a walking lunch for a passing Spinosaurus."

Caleb shuddered in his arms, but didn't say anything. What could she say? He was right. "We'll have to risk it," she said finally. "It's our only hope."

"Once we get there, how are we going to even get the thing off the ground? I can't fly a helicopter," Oliver said. He looked at her. "Are there some flying lessons you were taking without my knowing?"

Caleb shook her head. "The helicopter isn't there right now. It took off after we loaded everything into the jeep, remember? We'll have to radio it for the pilot to come and pick us up."

"Did you see a radio tower or anything at the pad?"

Caleb thought for a moment before shaking her head in disgust. "No, damn it. We have no way of contacting the pilot that I know of."

"So once we get to the landing pad we'll just have to wait," Oliver said. "He might not come."

"Yes, he will. Don't you remember? There are scheduled pick up times for those leaving the island. He'll arrive at those times."

"Do you know when those times are?"

"Well we were scheduled to be at the helicopter pad at 11:00 the morning we were leaving."

Oliver nodded. "So that's most likely the pickup time." He looked at her. "We'll have to wait here until later then."

Caleb nodded, settling down so that she was curled up into his arms. "One of us will have to keep watch." She hated to admit it, but between the sex, the fear and the crying, she was exhausted.

"I'll go first," Oliver said, a thin, tiny smile stretching his lips slightly.

Caleb's body appeared to recognize the invitation, and she immediately slipped into slumber.

* * *

"How will we get to the helicopter?" Robbie asked.

Nathan considered this a minute. He didn't want to just strut down the road to the helicopter pad, but he didn't feel comfortable in the dense vegetation, either.

"Do you think we could swipe a jeep?" He asked. There were no cars outside the building, so he assumed they'd parked them in a garage somewhere or something. A garage that was, most likely, locked. Great.

Robbie must have had the same thoughts he did, because she shook her head tightly. "They'll be locked up, I'm sure, and we don't even know where to find them. We can't waste time looking for them."

"My thoughts exactly; so we'll have to walk. We'll stay under the cover of the trees but along the road so that we won't get lost." Nathan decided.

"When should we head out?" Robbie asked. She glanced back towards the building, where screams continued to emanate… although not as many as before.

Nathan could picture the scene in his head with unsettling clarity. Most people would be dead by now, their half-eaten bodies littering the floor. The survivors would be cowering, hiding behind overturned objects, praying that they wouldn't be found. There might even be a few that had raced back up to their rooms and locked themselves in.

"Now, while they're still distracted," he decided. Gripping Robbie's hand tightly, he stared into her great green eyes. "On the count of three, okay?"

Robbie could only nod.

"One…

"Two…

"Three!"

Nate jumped up and leapt over the low wall, Robbie doing the same, and they tore across the open area towards the cover of the jungle on the other side of the wide steps. The trees seemed impossibly far away, and they ran for all they were worth.

A few impossibly long seconds later, they reached the jungle, entering it and almost collapsing on the ground from exhaustion. Nathan's heart was beating so hard and fast he thought it would burst out of his chest with the strength of its pounding. Robbie was next to him on all fours, breathing deeply. Her shoes were still held, tightly, in the hand that wasn't holding Nathan's.

Neither of them noticed the shadow approaching them.

* * *

_She was almost full, but 'almost' wasn't good enough. Just one or two more should be enough to make her sated. Then she wouldn't have to hunt for the next couple weeks. They were quite lucky they'd stumbled upon such a nest of easy prey._

_The remaining animals were hiding. Not very well, she might add._

_There was movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned._

_Ah! Two animals running in front of the cave-not-cave! She could smell their fear and panic. They'd be easy pickings._

_Crouching down, her tail swishing, she stalked them as they ran across the hard stone clearing into the nice, dark trees._

* * *

"I never realized how out of shape I was until now," Nathan mumbled.

"I think it's just the stress. You've got plenty of muscle," Robbie commented absentmindedly.

Nathan looked at her. She admired his muscles? Robbie blushed.

The shadow grew closer.

* * *

_They were lying on the ground. The fear was still there, but it was a little stale now. They were calming down._

_Silly animals._

_In just a few steps, she'd be close enough to pounce._

_She decided she'd take down the smaller one first, the female._

* * *

"Why do you still have those ridiculous heels with you?" Nathan asked, trying to deflect.

Robbie seemed grateful he'd changed the subject. "Do you have any idea how much these cost? Besides, I like them and who knows--I might end up needing them."

Nathan opened his mouth to retort that it was ridiculous and sentimental and what the hell was it with women and shoes when he saw a shadow moving behind Robbie. He turned towards it, his mouth dry. The shadow was shaped just like a raptor.

He only had time to yell Robbie's name when the raptor leapt for her. Nathan also moved, grabbing Robbie and pulling her towards him, thinking to cover her with his body, but the raptor was faster, landing on Robbie with one massive foot firmly on Nathan's outstretched arm, pinning it down and preventing him from moving to help her.

Robbie screamed. Panicked, with flight not an option, a surge of adrenaline came to her rescue and her entire mind shouted  _fight!_

Bringing her right hand up, the one Nathan had been trying to grab, she held one of her shoes like a weapon, the heel pointed firmly at the raptor. At the same time she brought both her legs up, tucking them up against her stomach and preventing the raptor from slashing at her abdomen. Frustrated, the raptor brought his head down to snap at her, and as his jaws opened, Robbie plunged the heel of her shoe into its open maw, embedding it in the top of his mouth.

The raptor made a strangled scream, blood pouring from its mouth onto Robbie, who wriggled desperately to get out from underneath. Nathan scrambled into a slightly upright position, grabbing Robbie's other heel and ramming it into the foot that was pinning him down. The raptor made another sound of pain and moved its foot, and Nathan jumped up, giving the raptor a hockey check that managed to set it a bit off balance.

Holding the shoe firmly in his hand, Nathan checked the raptor again, making it stumble. He brought the shoe up and plunged it into the raptor's stomach, making it howl. More blood poured over Robbie, but she was able to scamper to her feet and get away. The raptor stumbled, the first shoe still in its mouth with the other embedded in its chest. Nathan helped Robbie to her feet and they backed up slowly, eyes never leaving the predator.

"Remind me never to complain about your heels again," Nathan breathed.

"Remind me to thank Steve Madden," Robbie shot back.

The raptor appeared to decide that dying quietly was better than trying to fight again, and it stumbled off into the jungle. As the raptor stumbled off, two other figures hurried towards them. Robbie scrambled back towards Nathan, clutching at him with abandon. He made a mental note to hold this moment over her the next time she declared she didn't need a man.

"Robbie?" It was Caleb.

"Cal?" Robbie responded.

"Robbie!" Caleb burst out of the trees, Oliver right behind her.

"Nate? What the hell are you guys doing out here?" Oliver asked, grinning as he clapped Nate on the shoulder. "We thought you'd be in the building."

"Where're Blue and Phil?" Caleb asked, after she and Robbie had hugged fiercely. Robbie seemed unaware of her blood-spattered state.

Robbie made a choking noise and looked at Nathan, who swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Phil was attacked by a raptor and didn't make it," he explained. "Blue was… she…"

Nathan blinked a few times and looked down at the ground. Robbie reached out and put a hand on his arm, and Caleb looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Oliver nodded seriously, unsure of what, if anything, to say.

Nathan looked into Robbie's eyes, devoid of humor. They almost glowed with emotion. The hand on his arm tightened almost imperceptivity before releasing him and dropping her arm back down to her side.

"I guess we'll have to move sooner than we thought," Oliver commented to Caleb.

"We were thinking the helicopter pad," Nathan said.

"That's what we decided on," Caleb confirmed.

"I feel like we're in _Lost_ ," Oliver remarked.

"If that's true then Nathan's Jack," Robbie said.

"If I'm Jack, then who's Sawyer?" Nathan asked absentmindedly.

He looked back towards the building where the body of his sister lay. He wanted to go back so badly, if only to say a proper goodbye. He was going to leave, not even able to bring back her body for burial.

He'd never been one for ceremony or going to church, but he suddenly felt a great sadness that Blue wouldn't get a proper funeral.

_It's always the little traditions that end up surprising us with their importance._

"Nathan?"

Robbie had stepped closer and was scrutinizing him gently. Nathan faked a smile, which she saw through. She gave him her classic 'suuuuuure' look, and a shadow of her formal twinkle appeared in her eye for a moment. Nathan hoped that by the end, that twinkle would be back in full strength.

"We have to get moving," he said curtly.

Oliver slipped an arm around Caleb who, like Robbie, was barefoot. Nathan winced inwardly. They'd have to fix that, or the girls were going to have some wicked cuts and blisters by the end.

Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Robbie's hand. It shouldn't have been instinctive, as they'd never held hands before this night, but after all that had happened, he just needed to feel connected to her. Robbie seemed to appreciate the gesture, and she squeezed his hand.

With a collective deep breath, the four started out. Nathan knew that whatever happened next, they would either live or die within the next twenty-four hours.

He also knew that he was determined to live, if only for Blue.

His sister.


	6. Red and Blue Make...

Blue glanced behind her. The jungle was silent except for the occasional sway of leaves from the breeze. She looked over at the raptor by her side. Despite her many attempts, Blue would still make a bit of noise as she moved through the dense foliage. Not so with Red. The creature made absolutely no sound as he padded alongside her. It had originally given her the creeps, but at this point she didn't mind it. As long as it helped them to avoid whatever other predators were out there, she was fine.

Suddenly Red stopped. He pointed his maw up in the air, his tiny nostrils flaring as he sniffed. Blue watched him, fascinated. It was hard not to be a bit entranced by the animal, watching him move and sense and think. And he could think--very well. Sometimes Blue would look over at him and swore she could see the thoughts running across his mind. Nobody had ever gotten to see this creature at work before. She was the first to behold this behavior.

"What is it, boy?" She asked quietly.

Red looked at her as if to tell her to shut up. Then he sniffed the air again. He turned his head away from her, towards something else. Without a word, he began to stalk in that direction.

"Hey!" Blue whispered fiercely. "Where do you think you're going?"

The raptor ignored her and continued in the direction he'd chosen. Rolling her eyes and mumbling exasperatedly, Blue followed after him as best she could, clambering over fallen branches and carefully avoiding gigantic, muddy footprints.

Red continued to hurry through the jungle, giving little thought to the girl racing to keep up with him. Although not fully grown, his strides were long and powerful, and Blue was scrambling to stay with him. After a couple minutes of this, the raptor suddenly stopped. Blue, startled, nearly poked herself in the eye with his tail.

"Watch it!" She hissed. She moved around the appendage and came to stand next to Red. "What is it?"

The raptor looked at her, then outwards. Blue saw that they were at the edge of the forest, looking at a huge clearing. Several pods of herbivorous dinosaurs were grazing. Blue sighed. "Are you telling me you're hungry?" She asked.

Red cocked his head at her. Blue mimed eating. "Hungry?" She repeated.

The raptor bobbed his head happily. Blue rolled her eyes. "Okay then. Go. Hunt. Eat your little raptor heart out."

Red continued to look at her with his head tilted, and Blue realized what was up. "Oh, wait--you hunt in packs, don't you?" She sighed. "Hoo boy. This is not going to be fun."

She looked around and saw a small family of… what were those things? Gallimimus? Well, they looked small and weak enough. Long, thing legs though… that meant they were quick…

"Okay--here's what we're going to do," she said. She outlined the plan a few times, miming every step and gesturing. She was pretty sure by the gleam in Red's eyes that he understood, but she wouldn't be certain until they were actually moving.

Creeping through the brush at the edge of the forest, Blue made her way towards the herbivores. She kept downwind of them--or what she thought was downwind. She certainly hoped that it was. It would be just her luck for them to smell her before she got close.

Luck was on her side, though, and she got within a few feet of them without being noticed. With a shout, Blue launched herself at them, waving her arms and yelling. The animals scattered, frantic and startled. One of them, small and young dashed away like the others. It got too close to the forest and with a flash so quick Blue would have missed it if she'd blinked, Red leapt onto the unfortunate youngster and slashed its stomach open. The creature fell to the ground, twitching and writhing.

Red made to tear into its stomach but Blue ran up and stopped him, holding up her hand and yelling, "Stop!"

To her surprise, the raptor obeyed. Red stared at her curiously.

"We're going to kill our food before we eat it," Blue said. She pointed to the prey's neck and mimed biting it.

Red bent down and took the thin neck in his jaws. He bit down and twisted a little. There was a sickening crunching and snapping sound, and the formerly struggling creature lay still. Red looked up at Blue.

"Hold." She kept making the stop motion with her hand. "Hold… hold…"

Red kept staring at her.

"Go!" Blue dropped her hand.

She was pretty sure it was the dropping of the hand motion--which Red recognized--rather than her words that made him obey her. The raptor tore into the carcass, greedily eating every scrap of meat he could get his jaws on.

"This is like one of those nature shows," Blue muttered.

Within ten minutes, almost the entire young dinosaur had been consumed. Red finished, his tongue coming out to lick the blood on his maw. He rolled onto his back on the grass, making a noise of contentment. On a whim, Blue bent down and lightly scratched his underside. Red made a noise of happiness and stretched, exposing more of his stomach. Blue scratched some more as the raptor's eyes slid shut happily.

After a couple minutes of this, Blue stood up. "C'mon. I'm going to teach you a few things."

It had occurred to her that this was a young raptor. Last night's massacre was probably his first hunt out of the nest. After all, those things became huge, and Red was barely up to Blue's height, which was definitely on the short side. The way Red behaved around her, listening to her and turning to her for advice, suggested that in the absence of his pack he was looking to her as the adult from which to learn. This presented an opportunity. It was nice having company and possible protection, but what good were those if the raptor didn't listen, or couldn't understand her, or ended up killing her over a misunderstanding?

And so Blue decided to train him.

It didn't take nearly as long as she expected. Dr. Grant had no idea how right he was about raptor intelligence. Red recognized smells immediately, even if he'd only encountered them once before. He could tell different species, even different individuals, of dinosaurs apart and could pick said individuals out of the crowd. If Blue named a kind of dinosaur, he could then indicate that species when she called out the name. He could even tell a couple different colors apart.

Blue taught him her name, and his. She taught him different species so that she could tell him which kind to hunt and to avoid. She taught him commands accompanied by hand signals. It got so that she could give him the signal silently and he could do it, or just the word with no signal. There was "stop," "go," "come," "hold" (wherein he held the same position, whatever it was, until Blue gave another command), "jump," "leap" (similar to "jump", only this one meant specifically to leap onto someone), "attack" (in whatever form the raptor preferred), "hide," "run," "roll over," and "nuzzle," which was where the raptor nuzzled Blue's face and she put her arms around his neck. She also taught him the difference between "good" and "bad" actions, although the moral and philosophical parts she kept away from. Obeying her, being quiet, and not picking her up by the scruff of her t-shirt were all "good." Ignoring her, snapping at her, and peeing on her shoe were all "bad."

By the time dusk was approaching, Red had learned several signals and commands, various other random things, and basically could communicate with Blue in simple ways. Blue felt quite proud. Who else in this world could say that they had trained a raptor?

The herbivores around the clearing were finishing their grazing. A few were beginning to wander towards their chosen sleeping areas. Blue lay down on the grass, feeling content. She still needed to find her stepbrother, but that could wait. For now, she was happy having an afternoon with her new… pet? Friend? Whatever Red was.

Of course, thinking about Nathan brought up questions about Red. How would he react upon seeing his sister accompanied by a killing machine? What would they do with Red once they were reunited? They couldn't exactly take him with them. Blue was certain that even if the media didn't manage to get all over this like with the San Diego debacle, then the government would find a way to get a hold of Red and experiment with him. She had no doubt that scientists would be fascinated with him and while Blue was all for the expansion of knowledge, nobody was going to touch her raptor.

It was while contemplating these heavy thoughts that Blue noticed Red had stood up. He had formally been lounging with his head on her chest. He seemed to like hearing her breathing. Perhaps it reminded him of cuddling up with his pack back home? But now he was standing, looking around warily and sniffing the air.

Blue sat up. "What is it?" She'd taught Red what that meant, and it was his queue to indicate whatever he was looking at or smelled or whatever. But this time he ignored her, looking around and peering into the trees surrounding the clearing.

Blue didn't like the looks of it. She stood up. "What is it?" She repeated, forcefully.

A terrible, ear-splitting roar shook Blue's entire body. Forget spine tingling--this made her spine vibrate violently and her entire body tremble. She looked around frantically.

"Red? What is it? Is that what I think it is?" She whispered, suddenly afraid to move.

Another roar shattered the air, as the herbivores grouped around them began to lower fretfully and hurry away from the sound. Red bumped his head against Blue's back, the indication for her to move. Blue felt frozen, like a character in a horror film who knows the killer is coming but isn't sure where from.

Red bumped his head against her back again. Suddenly, through the trees burst an enormous dinosaur, its face instantly recognizable. Despite seeing the skeletons of such a creature in museums, Blue still wasn't fully prepared for its immense size.

"Oh… my… God…" She breathed.

The T-Rex lunged forward, trying to get a hold of a Hadrasaur of some kind that was emerging itself in the pond. He missed, and the dinosaur swam to the safety of the middle of the pond. Unable to swim, the T-Rex could not follow. The carnivore let out a disappointed roar.

"Run," Blue whispered. "Run, Red, run!"

They tore away, booking it towards the safety of the trees. Blue was absolutely terrified. This was supposed to be cool. This was supposed to be fun. She loved dinosaurs. Watching a T-Rex hunt should be one of the greatest things she'd ever witnessed. But she wasn't safely in a viewing box or something. She was right there, in the middle of it, and she could very well be the next victim.

The roar sounded again, this time closer, and Blue felt the ground periodically shake as the creature took huge steps. She panted, frantically picking up her pace. She was certain that the T-Rex was following her.

Just another twenty feet and she'd reach the trees where she could hide… just another twenty feet…

She was so focused on her goal that she wasn't watching where her feet were going. With an involuntary gasp, Blue tripped over a protruding root and fell, face-first, into the dirt. She immediately scrambled to her feet, but a triumphant roar over her head alerted her to the danger. It was too late.

Rolling over, Blue gaped at the towering creature above her. Oh God, it was so huge, and those teeth were so sharp and immense, and she was never going to see Nathan again, and oh fucking  _God_ …

The T-Rex roared in pain, stepping back, swinging his head around. Blue saw Red, growling and shrieking in that distinctly raptor way of his, fiercely attacking the massive dinosaur's ankles. The T-Rex turned, trying to see what was biting and clawing at him. Red ran around the side of the creature and picked Blue up by the scruff of her t-shirt.

Blue had never before appreciated just how strong raptors were. Red carried her, her clothing held securely but gently in her jaws, sprinting as if he didn't have a one hundred and some-odd pounds girl dangling from his mouth.

They reached the safety of the trees in a few seconds, but Red didn't stop. He kept running, dodging trees and jumping over plants until the frustrated roars of the T-Rex could no longer be heard. Then, and only then, did he drop Blue. She fell to the ground, landing on her butt with a thump. She looked up at Red. The raptor hung his head. He'd carried her by her clothing, which as she'd taught him was "bad." He was expecting a reprimand.

Blue stood up, wrapping her arms around the raptor that had just saved her life. "Good boy," she whispered, choking up. "You were such a good boy, Red. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Red nuzzled her happily.


	7. Tactics, Woman!

Nathan peered out from between the foliage. The lumbering herd of whatsitcalled was making their way slowly down the very road they'd been following to get back to the helicopter.

"They're completely in the way," Oliver grumbled. Caleb gripped his shoulders as she tracked the animals with her eyes, the green of her irises matching the plants around her perfectly.

"No, this is perfect," Nathan argued.

"I fail to see how," Robbie replied. Her usual joking demeanor had been completely erased, replaced by the occasional sarcastic comment and general silence. It worried Nate more than he'd care to admit out loud.

"They're moving in the same direction we want to go, right?" Nate explained. "So we'll just slip into the herd and move along with them. They'll give us protection."

There was a time when Oliver would have been the one thinking up these ideas, scheming and planning. Oliver was the one they all looked to. Now it had changed and for some reason Nathan was the one in charge. It made him marvel how in times of stress or emergency, the roles that people filled and their attitudes could shift and change.

"What do you guys think?" He offered.

Oliver and Caleb nodded. Robbie squeezed his hand. They hadn't stopped holding hands the entire time they'd been moving. They'd walked almost the entire night, only stopping to rest once the forest began to lighten from black to dark green as dawn broke. They'd rested for a few hours and then headed out again. After the night they'd had, though, four hours of sleep hadn't done much, and they were all feeling the exhaustion.

"C'mon, then," Nathan said. He tugged Robbie along with him and cautiously approached the something-tops.

"Why can't we just walk alongside them?" Robbie whispered.

"Tactics, woman, tactics!" Nathan joked. "We'll be safer if we're surrounded by them."

"We could also be crushed," Robbie pointed out.

"I doubt they'll do that." Seeing as their presence hadn't startled the horned herbivores, he led Robbie through the herd until they were in the center of the group. A minute later, Oliver and Caleb followed, sneaking in to walk alongside their friends.

"Fuck, that was nerve-wracking," Caleb said. She looked around, suddenly panicked. "These are herbivores, right? Plant-eaters, vegetarians, all that shit?"

Usually calm and collected, Caleb had become nothing but a bundle of nerves since last night. Everyone was convinced that a shadow was another raptor lying in wait, but Caleb was as paranoid as the other three put together. They were all going to need massive amounts of therapy after this.

"Yeah. I'm no expert, but these look a lot like those three-horned guys," Nathan said. "The Triceratops. Blue would often…" He trailed off. Blue had often shared bits of information about dinosaurs with him as she read. He swallowed down the dry lump in his throat. Robbie sensed his distress and laid her head on his shoulder comfortingly.

They walked along with the creatures, their heart rates slowly lowering to a normal level as they observed the peaceful activities of the dinosaurs.

None of them noticed the plants behind the herd that were moved by something other than wind. Neither of them saw the flash of claws and eyes. Not one of them looked back and saw stripes that were not made by sunlight passing through the trees.

Instead they looked forward, towards the helicopter pad and rescue. They just had to last one more night, and the copter would arrive and take them all back home. Just one more night, and it would all be over.

As they moved along the road, they passed by other groups of dinosaurs, and even an immense clearing complete with a pond. They saw a T-Rex stalking through the trees, but fortunately he was a great distance away and not paying them any mind. Miniscule, colorful dinosaurs that must have numbered several dozen perched on a group of rocks, cooing at them as they passed. Robbie pressed closer to Nathan, not liking the sheer number of the creatures despite their small size.

Slowly, they began to embrace the wonder around them. There were plenty of people who'd seen majestic waterfalls, certainly, but how many of them could say that they had seen a long-necked dinosaur as tall as a skyscraper bathing in said waterfall? And while the frilled dinosaur that hissed at them like some kind of rattlesnake was definitely startling, it was an experience that no one alive had ever witnessed.

"This is fantastic," Robbie breathed, watching a group of thin, long-legged dinosaurs flock like birds along the gently sloping hills. They wheeled and banked in perfect unison, their yellow-gold hides almost gleaming in the late afternoon sun.

"It is," Nathan agreed. He watched Robbie's face as she observed the creatures, her eyes lighting up for the first time since the ghastly horrors of the night before. She looked happy, and peaceful, and like her old self again.

Oliver and Caleb had managed to scramble on top of a particularly large female in the herd--despite the animal's initial protests--and were lounging together, watching a small herd of herbivores with colorful plates on their backs. Nathan and Robbie were sitting on their own steed, having followed their friends' lead. Oliver and Caleb were completely turned away from Nathan and Robbie.

Well, there was no time like the present.

Nathan turned towards Robbie, using the hand that wasn't holding hers to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. Before she could say anything, he kissed her.

Robbie's mouth opened, perhaps on a gasp, and she swiped her tongue over his lips. Nathan hadn't been expecting her to advance things, but he wasn't one to ignore an invitation like that. He opened his mouth, complying with her wish, and they slid their tongues together.

He didn't realize how much time had passed with them like that until Oliver shouted at them.

"Hey! You guys need help breaking the suction?"

They broke apart guiltily to see the faces of their friends contorted with laughter. Caleb was clutching Oliver's chest, giggling into his shirt, while he braced himself along the back of the Tri-whatever for support. Nathan glared at them. Robbie surprised him by simply smiling and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Can I ask why now?" She asked him quietly. "After all these years?"

"I was always scared you'd reject me," Nathan admitted. "But we don't have much to lose now."

"Just our lives," Robbie said, her voice a mixture of bitter and dull.

Nathan held her a little tighter. "We're going to get out of here. I promise."

"With your genius tactics?" Robbie teased.

"That's my girl," Nathan said, glad to see some of the old Robbie returning.

The herd was beginning to settle down for the night, and the group slid off the backs of their animals in order to curl up in the middle of the herd. The body heat meant that despite the lack of blankets they were quite comfortable and they crowded together, resting against the back of the creatures, to watch the sunset.

And once again, none of them noticed the shadows that moved on their own, flowing around them in the night. Watching. Waiting.


	8. The Battle of Thermopylae

Blue was awakened in the daybreak by something dripping on her face. She frowned, scrunching up her nose and blinking. The early morning sun was strategically placed to shine right above her head, shooting tiny arrows of light right into her eyes. A tall, raptor-shaped thing was peering at her, completely darkened by the sun at its back.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," she grumbled. She rubbed her face. "What the hell are you dripping on me, Red? That better not be drool."

She sat up and looked at her hand, which was now covered in smeared flecks of red after passing over her face. She frowned and looked up at the raptor.

Red had the leg of some kind of baby dinosaur dangling from his jaws, held out to Blue like an offering. She shrieked.

"What the fuck!?" She cried out, scuttling to her feet. "When did you go hunting?"

Red cocked his head in his confused face, and then dropped the bloody leg stump at Blue's feet. She tried not to retch.

"Um, no. No thank you. Sweet, but no." Blue was vaguely reminded of cats leaving dead mice and birds at the doorsteps of their owners. She sighed as Red continued to stare at her, waiting for her to do something.

Blue gingerly picked up the piece of meat and held it out to Red. "Eat," she commanded.

The raptor still looked confused, but he picked up the leg with his jaws and began to wolf it down. Blue sighed and wiped her bloody hands on her jeans. She was pretty sure that she stunk to high heaven by now. Her stomach rumbled. Raw meat might work for Red, and it might have been fine for Blue's ancestors once upon an ice age, but she needed cooked food. Preferably vegetables or fruit. Something that hadn't once moved and breathed. She was kind of off the idea of meat right now.

Well, the only place to get food suitable for humans was back at the destroyed nightclub, and Blue was not going to go back there. She wished she'd had the presence of mind to pack something before heading out, but it was too late for that now. She would just have to book it to the helipad and eat once they got back to civilization.

That didn't stop images of burritos and pasta and ice cream from dancing through her head.

After drinking from a tiny stream and washing her face and hands (and washing off Red's blood-plastered face and claws, as well), the two of them set out. Blue kept within the relative shelter of the trees, but with the road just close enough that she could catch glimpses of it if she tried. It was on her right hand side, which unknowingly both saved her and complicated things. Unbeknownst to Blue, her stepbrother and his friends had traveled on the other side, with the road on their left, before joining the herd of whachimacallits, and the raptors that were stalking them were on that side of the jungle as well. So while this ensured her safety from attack for the time being, it meant that she was not aware of Nathan's presence just a half a mile ahead of her.

It had only taken them about an hour driving by jeep to reach the club two days ago, but going by foot--and stopping to sleep and rest--extended the journey into an entire day. Blue had never before appreciated cars so much, and resolved to take better care of her vehicle the minute she got back home.

After a few hours of walking, the sun was a good bit over the tops of the trees, although noon was still a couple of hours away. The trees began to thin out, and Blue could hear a loud roaring, rushing sound that filled her ears and made the very air about her vibrate subtly.

Red made a sound that she'd come to recognize as joyful, and hurried forward. It amazed Blue just how many different sounds the raptor could make, and she was pleased with herself that she could identify the emotions behind them. She began to jog to keep up with Red, and soon burst through the trees only to stumble to a stop as she gaped at the huge half-circle waterfall.

They had reached the helipad.

Red was jumping up and down in wonder at the waterfall, making excited noises and pacing back and forth to get a better look at it. Blue smiled and patted him on the back. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said. Red couldn't understand what her words were, but he got her meaning and snorted at her playfully, blowing her hair out of her face.

There were shouts and cries, and Blue turned to her right. Four figures were whooping and dancing on the road, just at the edge of where the dirt ended and the concrete began.

"It's 10:30--the copter should be here in half an hour," a very recognizable male voice shouted. "We're almost home free, guys, we're almost home! We fucking  _made it_!"

More cheers accompanied this announcement.

"Nate?" Blue breathed. She grinned. "Nate!"

She began to make her way down the slope she was standing on to the road, waving her arms. Red followed her, nearly falling a couple of times as he tried to both keep up with her and maintain his balance.

"Nate the great!" Blue shouted. "Nathan!"

Her brother turned, his eyes widening with amazement and disbelief. "Bluebird?" He whispered.

Blue ran up to him, and he grinned. "Blue!" He cried, sweeping her up into his arms and swinging her around. "You made it, Primary, you made it!" He hugged her tight, and Blue was startled to feel tears fall into her hair as he cried. "I thought you were dead," he admitted. "I thought you were dead and it was my fault…"

Blue pulled back, smiling. "C'mon, Nate--you know you'll never get rid of me."

Nathan grinned, hugging her tightly. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

Just then, Robbie screamed.

Nathan and Blue turned to see Red making his way towards them. Nate pushed Blue behind him. "Run, Blue!" He yelled. Blue fought him.

"No! It's okay, it's okay!"

Oliver and Nathan glared at Red, who sensed their anger and paused, cocking his head. He turned to look at Blue for guidance.

"Leave him alone, you guys, it's fine!" Blue insisted. She wiggled out of Nathan's grip and approached Red. "It's okay, baby," she crooned soothingly. "They're just a little on edge. They're going to like you, you'll see, once they see what a good boy you are. Aren't you my good boy, huh baby?"

Red nuzzled Blue happily, glad that he wasn't in trouble. Blue wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled. "See?" She called to Nathan. "It's okay." She kept one arm slung around Red and led him towards the others, who looked wary. "He got his tail trapped by a piano and I helped him out, and he's been with me ever since. He saved my life, actually. And he's young, too, and really eager to learn stuff. Watch this."

She turned to the raptor. "Red?" His head perked up and he looked at her. "Lie down." He did so. "Roll over." He obeyed. Blue pointed at a patch of ground. "Leap." The raptor leapt onto the area she'd indicated. "Hold." He froze, and stayed frozen, for an entire minute. "Okay, stop." Red relaxed.

"Come," Blue said. Red padded over to her. "Good! Good boy! Nuzzle." Red nuzzled her happily, smiling in that weird raptor way of his, proud and glad that she was so pleased with him.

"Holy mother of Christ…" Oliver breathed. "Your sister trained a fucking killing machine!?"

Nathan shrugged. "Don't look at me. She's the dino expert."

This time, it was Caleb who screamed.

"Seriously, Caleb, he's perfectly harmless…" Blue turned to the girl but stopped when she realized that Caleb wasn't looking at her or Red. She was gazing back towards the road.

The road, which was currently blocked by about ten raptors leering at them hungrily.

"Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh my fucking God, oh God…" Caleb babbled, stumbling backwards and clutching at Oliver.

"There's nowhere to run." Nathan said. "Our backs are to the waterfall, literally."

"What time is it?" Robbie breathed.

Nathan spared his watch a glance before his eyes locked on the raptors once again. "10:45."

"Oh God…" Caleb whimpered.

Blue's arms tightened around Red, who was staring at the other raptors in confusion. Her heart was hammering so strongly that it was physically painful. She could feel it straining and thudding in her chest, sense the blood pulsing through her system. She was Red's friend, and he'd even saved her life. But this was Red's family. They had raised him.

Who would he choose?

Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing, because they all glanced over at the raptor, their eyes flicking back and forth between the pack and the lone ranger.

"Red?" Blue asked tentatively.

Red growled, and she stepped away from him. But he wasn't looking at her. He was glaring at the raptors stealthily approaching the group of humans. One of the raptors, the biggest one, snapped at Red, and he growled even louder.

"Blue?" Nathan said, not taking his eyes off the raptors.

"It's okay," Blue said shakily. "He's staying with us." She stroked Red's back. "Good boy, Red. Good boy."

Red made a rumbling sound of pleasure at Blue, but continued to glare at the pack of raptors. Blue's mouth was dry and fuzzy, and her eyes were watering because she was scared to blink. She was grateful and relieved--so, so very relieved--that Red was on their side, but one raptor and five weaponless humans couldn't possibly stand up to a dozen raptors. Blue glanced around them at the trees. While the others might not agree, she thought they were lucky they had this waterfall.

"Back up towards the helipad, keeping the waterfall at our backs," she instructed. Her mind was racing as she tried to remember everything that she had read about raptors from Dr. Grant's book. "They communicate by complicated sounds but also by gestures and movement so pay close attention to what they're doing."

The others obeyed, backing up slowly over the concrete towards the waterfall. "Why are we doing this?" Nathan asked.

"Raptors like to sneak attack," Blue explained. "They surround their prey and make their presence known from the front where you can see them. While you're focused on them, the others jump out at you from the sides and behind. You don't even know they're there until it's too late. But with this waterfall here, we've stumped them. They can't surround us, so they have to do a full-frontal attack. It's not their forte but with their numbers they know they can pull it off."

"And this gives us an advantage how?" Nathan asked.

"It doesn't," Blue said. "But it evens out the playing field. We can see all of them, just like they can see all of us."

"We are so screwed…" Oliver said. Caleb whimpered.

Robbie remained silent, pale and trembling once again, the hand clasped in Nathan's shaking uncontrollably. He squeezed it soothingly.

"Any ideas, Primary?" He asked.

Blue swallowed. She tried to speak but all that came out was a croak. She tried again. "Uh… fight them off until the helicopter arrives?"

"I wish we'd kept those heels…" Robbie muttered. Both girls were still barefoot.

One of the raptors gave a cry, and the pack surged forward. Nathan and Oliver pushed their girls behind them, taking up boxing positions. Red gave a cry of his own and launched himself at the biggest raptor, the leader, despite his disadvantage in size.

"Protect your abdomens! That's what they're going for!" Blue yelled.

"What?" Nathan yelled.

"Your stomachs! Block your stomachs!"

A raptor leapt at Oliver, who ducked and slid along the concrete, slipping just underneath the raptor's outstretched claws. Caleb screamed and punched the raptor in the head, disorienting it. She sprinted back and helped Oliver to his feet.

The other raptors were prowling, trying to surround the group.

"Keep facing them! Don't let them get around you!" Blue hollered.

"Easier said than done, Bluebird," Nathan grunted through clenched teeth. A raptor came for him but he twisted, grabbing at its leg and pulling it with him so that it swung around and crashed to the ground as he let go. He felt a strange tickling sensation and a thin line of blood stained his shirt. That had been far too close for his liking.

Blue faced another raptor. She imitated the raptor's pose and cocked her head, trying to mimic the growling sounds that Red had made. The raptor appeared confused. Blue growled again, baring her teeth. The raptor made up its mind and jumped at her, but she brought her leg up and gave it a full frontal kick. The raptor fell to the ground, scrambling back to its feet in an instant, but Blue had already moved.

"Where'd you learn that?" Robbie asked, panting with fear.

"It's just like kicking a guy in the nuts," Blue said, shrugging. "Worth a shot, right?"

Robbie laughed, but it was just a little too high and a little too giddy, betraying her fear and adrenaline. Blue swiveled, looking for Red. A familiar cry alerted her to his location.

The big raptor had him pinned down and was snapping at his neck, trying to tear his throat out. Red had his arms and legs up, blocking his underbelly and attempting to slash at the big raptor's stomach. Without even thinking, Blue ran towards them.

"Get off of him, you bastard!" She yelled, jumping onto the big raptor's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and  _pulled_ , squeezing and tugging and digging her heels in. She kicked his sides repeatedly, and managed to wrap her left arm enough around his neck to get a good hold and free her right arm to punch him in the head. "Let go, you moron, get off!"

The raptor, surprised and disoriented by Blue's punches and presence on his back, reared up, twisting and turning his body to try and throw her off, or at least get a glimpse of what was attacking him. He snapped and gnashed his teeth fruitlessly in an attempt to get at her. Red tucked his legs under even more and gave a ferocious kick, knocking the big raptor off of him. Red jumped to his feet, growling and snapping. The big raptor reared up again, snapping at Blue's fist. He nicked her knuckles with his teeth and she loosened her grip on his neck in shock. She slipped, landing heavily on the ground hard enough to bruise. Before the big raptor could do anything to her, however, Red launched himself and this time was the one who landed on top, inserting one powerful leg in between the raptor's and slashing open his belly.

The other raptors turned, startled, and gazed as Red finished off their leader. Blue slowly got to her feet, the entire right side off her body aching from landing on it. Her knuckle stung, too. She glanced over at the others. Robbie was supporting Nathan, who was clutching his stomach. Oliver had almost completely wrapped himself around a crying Caleb, doing his best to shield her with his body. They were all staring at Red as well.

Red stepped off the dead body of the raptor and immediately padded over to Blue. He bobbed his head, his eyes skittering over her body, looking for injuries. Deeming her unharmed, he nuzzled her before pulling back, awaiting judgment.

"Good boy, Red," Blue assured him. "You were a very, very good boy."

Red gave a pleased noise and nuzzled her again. Blue wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, pressing her face into his smooth scales.

The other raptors were looking at one another, conferring almost, as to what to do about this strange turn of events. This was supposed to be an easy kill. But now one of their own had not only turned against them but had killed the pack leader. This demanded retribution.

Having reached a decision, the other raptors turned and began to advance again. Caleb made a hopeless squeak.

"Red can't kill all of them, Bluebird," Nathan said quietly.

Blue nodded. "Love you, Nate the Great."

"Love you too, Primary," Nathan responded. Robbie hugged him tightly. The raptors had surrounded them, pinning them into a tight circle. There was no way out of this.

There was a whirring, chopping sound, and a steady, unnatural breeze began to blow around them. The raptors looked up, startled, and began to back away, making angry noises of indignation. The humans and Red looked up as well.

"Thank God," Oliver whispered.

It was the helicopter.

"We're here!" Blue shouted, waving her arms. "We're here!"

The helicopter slowly descended as they all backed out of the way. The pack of raptors slowly left the area, snapping and growling at them, vanishing into the trees so fluidly they practically melted into the foliage.

Everyone cheered.


	9. I Wish I Could Quit You

As the copter began to touch ground, Red cocked his head and made a noise of curiosity. Blue turned to him. He gazed at her, waiting patiently for an explanation.

Blue swallowed. She had just realized something.

She couldn't take Red with her.

"Come," Blue whispered.

The raptor did, and she threw her arms around him, burying her face into his neck and sobbing. "You have to stay, Red," she whispered. "You can't come."

The pilot turned off the copter and exited the flying contraption, approaching the others. He demanded an explanation as to what was going on, and Robbie and Oliver took turns explaining. Caleb simply held onto Oliver, crying. Nathan was watching Blue.

She had no other choice. She knew what the corporate world was like, and while she loved science, she knew what scientists had done to lab rats and other animals in the pursuit of knowledge. If she took Blue back, they'd take him away, no matter how hard she tried to keep him. She couldn't protect him from them. Hell, the government might even get involved. She couldn't bear to have her friend subjected to horrible tests, away from nature and freedom and love. She couldn't let them have him.

"I have to go," she whispered. She wished with all her heart that he could understand her every word. She wished that he were more intelligent, so that he could know what she was saying. But Red was, in the end, an animal, and animals can sense things far better than humans. He could sense Blue's distress and made comforting noises, gently nuzzling her hair.

Blue pulled back, bringing her hands up to either side of his face, holding it in place and looking right into his eyes. "Red," she said. He looked right at her. "You're a good boy. Such a good boy." She had tears running down her face and her voice was cracked and choking, but she was determined to finish this. "But you have to stay, okay? I'm going to go, and you can't come with me."

Red made a distressed sound. Blue gave a heaving sob. "Promise me you'll be a good boy, okay? You'll be a normal raptor. You'll join that pack or find a new one and grow up and be the most feared predator on the island. You'll be happy."

The others had climbed into the helicopter, which had started up again. Nathan was the last one. He turned back. "C'mon, Blue!" He shouted over the whirring blades. "We have to go!"

Blue flung her arms around Red one last time. "I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much, Red. You're my good boy."

With a sob, she let go and began to back away. "Hold," she said, choking on her own words. Red made more upset noises and took a step towards her. "Hold!" She repeated, more forcefully this time.

She reached the chopper, climbing in but still at the doorway, still gazing at Red. "Hold, Red, hold."

Red cried out, but he stayed still.

"Good boy," Blue said. "I love you, Red. Good boy."

She stepped back and Nathan closed the door.

Blue immediately pressed her face to the window, watching as the chopper took off. Red cried out again and again, jumping up as if he were going to leap onto the copter and fly away with them. Blue watched him until the waterfall was nothing but a tiny pool of white and blue and the helipad was a small gray dot, before allowing her tears to cloud her vision. She slumped back against the seat.

Nathan reached across the seat and put his hand on her knee. "It's going to be okay, Bluebird," he said, trying to be comforting.

Blue knew he was trying to help her, but she didn't want comfort. She curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep.


	10. The Four Words of the Apocalypse

Dr. Grant set down his piece of chalk. "Now, if you understood all of that--congratulations, you might actually survive this semester. If you didn't…" He gave them all a threatening look before grinning. "Then come talk to me after class and we'll see what we can do. Class dismissed."

The freshmen rose from their seats, gathering up their pens, pencils, notes and textbooks. "Don't forget to grab your syllabus!" Dr. Grant reminded them as they began to file out of the door. He shook his head. "Freshmen."

He turned back to his desk and began to gather up his own things. That had been his last lecture of the day, thank God, and he had a home-cooked meal waiting for him courtesy of Ellie. God, he loved that woman. Why he'd been idiotic enough not to tell her about it until it had seemed too late, he'd never know.

"Dr. Grant?"

He turned, frowning at the girl standing before him. She was one of the freshmen, blond, with a serious face. He remembered that during the lecture she'd answered all of his questions correctly.

"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked.

"I'm Blue Aldrich," the girl said, holding out her hand for him to shake. He did, but his brow was still creased in confusion. "Do you have a few minutes? Or, rather, about an hour?"

"I was actually about to go home and have dinner with my family, Miss Aldrich, but I think I can spare you a couple of minutes. What's the matter?"

Blue swallowed. "Dr. Grant… we need to talk."


End file.
